THE DIVINE TOUCH 



OR 



THE CONSECRATED BAND: 



BY 



BENJAMIN F. SAWYER, 

Minister of the Associate Presbyterian Church, Darlington, Pa., author of "The Great 
River, or The True Gospel Displayed." 



V u 



BEAVER FALLS, PA.: 
ROBERT BRUCE. 
1891. 




COPYRIGHTED 1891. 
By ROBERT BRUCE. 



JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO., LTD. 



PREFACE. 



This last and great work of Mr. Sawyer's, took its rise in a sermon 
founded on I Samuel x.26, which was preached a number of years ago. 
A request was made by a friend of the author, who had heard the dis- 
course, to have it published. 

In the process of preparation for publication, it expanded into a 
volume, comprising the principal doctrines taught by the author during 
his labor in the work of the ministry. 

A short time before his death, in conversation with the writer, he 
expressed a desire to have his work published. Preparations were 
made for this purpose at Beaver Falls, Pa. Such was satisfactory to Mr. 
Sawyer, and he began the work of preparing his manuscript for the 
press. But before he had properly arranged it, he was called away by 
death, However, he made a request that it be placed in my hands for 
publication. 

After some time and labor the book is now given to the public, 
trusting that it will do essential good to the cause of sound doctrinal 
truth in this age ; and that God may bless its perusal to the edification 
in divine knowledge of many precious souls ! In respect to the merits 
of the book, it embodies a good deal of original thought and presents 
the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty with much clearness and precision. 
It is written in a pleasing and flowing style. The Author sometimes 
rises to heights of natural eloquence and then changes to the familiar 
conversational style. In the arrangement of his work he is systematic. 
The different parts naturally proceed out of the subject. Read it in 
view of obtaining a knowledge of divine truth, and may it be accom- 
panied with a rich blessing to every lover of the Truth. 

ROBERT BRUCE. 

Beaver Falls, Pa., December 1, 1890. 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Introductory 1 

PART I— .Their Unction. 

I. The Seat of the Unction 5 

II. The Source of the Touch which produced the Unction 17 

1. The Supernaturalness of the Touch 

2. The Preordinance of the Touch 24 

3. The Efficacy of the Unction 30 

a. Our Inability in reference to God's Command 48 

b. Our Inability to obey God's Command 48 

4. The Sovereignty of the Touch 52 

a. Distinguishableness of the Touch 52 

b. The Graciousness of the Touch 71 

c. The Equitableness of the Touch 80 

d. The Judiciousness of the Touch 101 

e. The Holiness of the Touch 108 

/. The Mildness of the Touch 144 

g. The Continuity of the Touch 149 

PART II.— Their Conjunction. 
I. Their Profession 179 

II. Their Separateness 190 

III. Their Union 204 

IV. A Mutual Affection 238 

V. Joint Co-operation 243 

VI. Their Order : 245 

VII. Association 254 

PART III.— Their Action. 

L The Object of the Band's Action 261 

a. An Attachment to his Person 261 



VI 



PREFACE. 



(1). The Exalted Dignity of his Person 267 

(2.) His Condescension and Sufferings 268 

(3). His Death for Rebels 271 

6. Submission to his Authority 275 

c. Obedience to his Laws 282 

d. His Establishment in the Kingdom 294 

II. The Character of the Band's Action 303 

a. Decided 303 

6. Voluntary 305 

c. Bold 309 

d. Zealous 319 

(1) . Object of Zeal Something Good 324 

(2) . True Zeal embraces All Good 325 

(3) . True Zeal is Due in its Proportions 326 

(4) . Sound Zeal is Prudent in its Spirit 328 

(5) . Zeal is Affectionate in its Spirit 328 

(6) . Zeal is Enduring in its Influence 329 

e. Pleasurable 330 

/. Honorable 341 

g. Upright 345 



MEMOIR. 



Benjamin Franklin Sawyer was born in Allegheny county, 
Penn., April 17th, 1817. But little is known to the writer of this sketch 
of his early life. 

His parents were both members of the Associate Presbyterian Con- 
gregation of Peter's Creek, Washington county, Penn. His mother 
died whilst he was quite young, and he went and lived with his uncle, 
Major John Fife, who was a member of the Presbyterian Church. 
While he was with his uncle, he attended on the ministry of Rev. Alex- 
ander Wilson, pastor of the Associate Presbyterian Congregation of 
Peter's Creek. 

In his early youth he had a great inclination for books, and mani- 
fested a desire for the work of the ministry. He frequently engaged in 
the practice of speaking, in the woods. And at one time he endeavored 
to practice preaching in a boat on a mill pond, with one of an audience 
on the bank, when by an unfortunate gesture the young preacher cap- 
ized the boat and fell into the pond. He received the most of his early 
education, at Marshall's Academy, in Allegheny county, Penn. While 
attending the Academy, he walked back and forth from his uncle's, a 
distance of two miles. He also spent some time at Jefferson College, 
Canonsburg, Penn. 

Being thrown upon his own resources, he was compelled to teach 
school and work in harvest in order to pay the expenses, while attending 
school. Sometimes students from Canonsburg taught in the neighbor- 
hood, of which he would take advantage and obtained some instruction 
in this way. 

Having at length acquired a respectable literary education, he was 
admitted to the study of Theology by the Associate Presbytery of 
Chartiers in the autumn of 1838. During the four subsequent years he 
pursued his studies regularly at the Associate Theological Seminary, 
Canonsburg, Penn., and was licensed to preach the everlasting gospel 



VIII 



MEMOIR. 



by the Presbytery of Chartiers, June 22d, 1842. His first appointments 
were in the Presbyteries of Chartiers, Stamford, Albany, Cambridge, 
Richland and Shenango. 

In 1844 he accepted a call from the congregations of Darlington and 
New Bethel — afterwards known as New Brighton — Beaver county, 
Penn., and was ordained and installed pastor of these congregations 
by the Presbytery of Ohio, May 15th, of the same year. 

When the majorities of the Associate and Associate Reformed 
Synods entered into union, May, 1858, forming the United Presbyterian 
Church, Mr. Sawyer, with the majorities of his congregations, also went 
into the union. He, however, remained but about two years in connection 
with the United Presbyterian Church, when he returned to the Associate 
Church, and was received back by the Presbytery of Clarion, May 24th, 
1860. 

He felt sensibly the impropriety of his conduct in entering into the 
union. The reason, why, he returned to the church of his choice, is 
best given by himself. 

He says : "I went back to the old church and gave accession to their 
principles, and acknowledged my error in going into the union. It was 
a difference that prompted me to return ; I found, in viewing the 
whole thing for two years, that the United Presbyterian Church was 
not the Associate Church ; they were not carrying out the principles of 
the Associate Presbyterian Church. They differ in this, that the 
Seceders always held to their Confession and Testimony. After very 
calm deliberation, I came to the conclusion, that the United Presbyterian 
Church, according to the principle upon which the union was formed, 
had agreed to hold to nothing. They differ on the subjects of Coven- 
anting and Ordination vows. 

"I attended a meeting of Presbytery while I was in the United 
Presbyterian Church, at which a young man presented himself for 
ordination. At that time a regular formula of questions had not been 
made out in the United Church, and the person appointed to preside in 
the ordination took the liberty of making one of his own ; that is, he 
took some questions from our formula, and some from the Seceder 
formula, and some from some other formula. But before he proceeded 
in the ordination, he intimated the fact to the Presbytery of what he 
was a going to do — that he would put the question in regard to the 
descending obligation of the Covenants ; he said he had taken this 



MEMOIK. 



IX 



obligation on himself when he was ordained, and he did not like to 
ordain a man without imposing the same obligation. The Presbytery 
opposed it and said they knew nothing about the obligation. He tried 
to defend himself in the Presbytery, and reasoned from the Testimony 
and Basis of Union, and referred to the Argument and Illustration 
and tried to sustain himself. But they beat him on that point, — the 
Argument and Illustration was no part of their Testimony, but they 
argued and illustrated for themselves. 

" When he could not proceed according to the way he had laid out, 
he withdrew and would not preside in the ordination. The Presbytery 
appointed another person to take his place and the young man was 
ordained. I saw by this action of the Presbytery, that the United 
Church was not going to carry out the principles of the Associate Pres- 
byterian Church and I was ready to leave." 

Mr. Sawyer attended the meeting of the Associate Synod at 
Pittsburg in 1858, when the union was consummated, and also several 
meetings of Synod prior to that time. He was therefore well acquainted 
with the proceedings of the Synod, in seeing and hearing for himself of 
the way in which the union was formed. 

In reference to the "Adopting Article" he says: "It allows the 
right of dissent from any doctrine in the Standards of the United 
Presbyterian Church. Now a dissent is a declaration of disagreement 
in opinion — to think in a different or contrary manner. 

" This right of dissent is couched under the phrase, ' forbearance in 
love, which is required by the law of God, be exercised towards any 
brethren who may not be able fully to subscribe the Standards of the 
United Church, while they do not determinedly oppose them, but 
follow the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may 
edify another.' The word 1 determinedly ' is slipped in very ingeniously. 
Hence those going into the union had the liberty to think as they please, 
to preach as they please, and to pray as they please." 

Mr. Sawyer viewed the way in which the Basis of Union was 
adopted, as one of the most important points of difference between the 
United and Associate Presbyterian Churches. A provision being made 
in her organic law — that is, in her Act adopting the Basis of Union — to 
allow the|privilege of dissent from any article in the Standards of the 
United Church. This loose way of acting in order to harmonize "the 
faith and practice held in common by the two churches," did not prove 



X 



MEMOIR. 



successful. And after he had tried for about two years the workings of 
the United Church, he concluded that he could not carry out his princi- 
ples in that Body, and therefore returned to the Associate Church. 
After this he labored in the congregations of Darlington and Four 
Mile, until death terminated his work on earth. 

He died at his residence near Darlington, Penn., March 21st, 1889, 
in the 72nd year of his age and 47th year of his ministry. 

In 1842, Mr. Sawyer was united in marriage with Miss Nancy 
Anderson, a daughter of William and Martha Anderson, of Washington 
county, Penna. They had six children, three sons and three daughters. 
Two sons, Wm. A. and Jas. T., engaged in the practice of medicine. 
James died a short time before his father. William is located at Dar- 
lington, Penn. Mrs. Sawyer died the 11th day of September, 1882. 
He felt the loss of his partner in life. Some time after her death, in a 
letter to a friend, he says : 

" It is forty years since my wife and I were joined in marriage. In 
looking over in my mind all this period, I have only pleasant reflections. 

"There never was an unpleasant word passed between us. There 
never was any unhappiness in my family. My wife died in her sixty- 
seventh year. I feel thankful to the Lord for sparing her with me so 
long. The children all got the advantage of her counsel. They knew 
her views on all religious subjects ; and especially on the importance of 
maintaining the principles of the Associate Church." 

Mr. Sawyer was a laborious student. He gave the most of his time 
in preparing his discourses, writing them in full. In his sermons he 
manifested much ability in drawing spiritual instruction from difficult 
sources. He was not a man of the world, as he cared but little for worldly 
concerns. 

Rev. Samuel Patterson, of Darlington, Penn., his friend and 
neighbor for o\er forty years, writes as follows : 

" Mr. Sawyer was a man of striking peculiarities and thought by 
many to be eccentric. His manner in the pulpit was not calculated to 
make a favorable impression on strangers or those seldom hearing him- 
To those, however, accustomed to his manner and giving their attention 
wholly to the matter of his discourses, he was highly edifying. 

" He seldom, if ever, entered the pulpit without careful preparation, 
and as the result his sermons were always characterized by depth of 
thought, clearness of expression and sound theology. Owing to this 



MEMOIR. 



XI 



careful habit, he would hardly ever give an opinion on any difficult 
question without a previous examination. 

'* In much of the current religious literature of the day he manifested 
little interest. Apart from the word of God, his favorite authors were, 
the Erskines, Boston, Fisher, Symington and the Andersons. With 
these as a lover of truth he held sweet intercourse. 

" He was a man of eminent piety ; while in the world he lived above 
it, caring neither for its wealth nor its honors : and as his life was a life 
of faith his death was most peaceful and triumphant. His bnok now 
given to the public constituted the chief part of his work during the last 
few years of his life, and was not completed till within a few days of his 
death. This with his other publications show that he used the pen of a 
ready writer, and through them though dead he will continue to 
speak." 

Mr. Sawyer is the author of a work entitled, "The Great River, or 
The True Gospel Displayed." This book took its rise in a sermon 
founded on Ezekiel, chapter 47, verse 9. 

" It contains a safe and clear exhibition of the true gospel, — namely 
a full salvation freely offered to mankind sinners on the ground of the 
righteousness of Jesus Christ, and to be apprehended by faith — as it is 
set forth enigmatically by the 6 Waters which issued out from under the 
threshold of the house.' " 

The first edition of the book has been sold. Several of his sermons 
have also been published. Among them one on — The duty of holding 
fast all attainments in the Truth, founded on the words — u Hold that fast 
which thou hast." 

Mr. Sawyer manifested a firmness in holding fast the principles of 
his profession and would not yield such for any worldly consideration or 
honor. In conversation with his son, the Doctor, near the close of his 
life, he remarked : "I will carry my principles with me to the bar of 
God, if they do not go there, I do not know what will go." 

He gave himself entirely to his work, and became a faithful ex- 
pounder of the word of God and a firm defender of the principles of the 
church of his choice. And while he ever treated with respect those who 
differed with him in ecclesiastical faith, yet he was ready to give his 
opinion upon disputed points, whether in doctrine or practice, after he 
had carefully examined such in the light of the word of God. 

He viewed with alarm anything that had a tendency to lower the 



XII 



MEMOIR. 



standards of the Church to the corrupt tastes of the world. He believed 
in the power of the gospel as the great means of reforming the world. 
He declares — "All moral reformation is the appropriate work of the 
Church. For this purpose she was instituted, and she is adequate for its 
accomplishment. Her ordinances are marked by no defects ; need no 
addition, no modifications. But what is it that has led men to devise so 
many schemes of usefulness, but an impression that the simple institu- 
tions of the Church are not sufficient for the direction of the moral influ- 
ence into every channel ? Surely they have forgotten that it is G-od 
who 'giveth the increase.' The influence of these associations is power- 
ful. They move society to its very center, by the splendor of their de- 
signs. But are they giving life to the Church ? No. They have left 
her languishing. They spring up in her sight, and take her work out of 
her hands, and devils, in the form of angels of light, perch upon their 
pinnacles, proclaiming in her ears, 'We have risen to do what you can- 
not do.' But what changes do these associations make upon men? 
Changes upon them they do make, but what is the character of these 
changes? Can we call them moral reformations? Are they character- 
ized by 'the obedience of faith'? Under the stimulants of external 
motives, men may change their outward deportment; but it is only the 
Spirit of God that can moralize men. Let the Church, then, arise to her 
duty, and sever herself from all mortal dependencies. Let her stand 
upon the simple platform of her own ordinances, and fix her eye upon 
God alone, and with untrembling hand grasp his immutable promises. 
Then would he pour out his Spirit, and give an illustration of the great 
efficacy of the pool of Siloam, and the wonderful effects of the clay and 
spittle." R. B. 



THE DIVINE TOUCH 

OR 

THE CONSECRATED BAND, 



And Saul also went home to Gibeah ; and there went with him a band 
of men, whose hearts God had touched. — I. Samuel 10 : 26. 

How forcibly does this piece of sacred history impress upon 
our minds the importance of the holy exhortation, 4 'Love not 
the world, neither the things that are in the world!" We have 
here an example of the power of the world to lead the professed 
people of God astray, when it gets hold on their hearts. 
Allured with its false glare, they desire to be encircled with its 
splendor, and the simple appointments of the Most High are 
either forgotten or unheeded. This is a tendency of man's 
corrupt nature, and actuates him from his birth to his death, 
unless this nature is subdued by the mighty working of divine 
grace. Shine he must in the world's glory ; and no outward 
motives can suppress the desire. He leaps alike over the 
counsels of wise men and the testimony of God to gratify it. 

The truth of this remark is clearly exemplified in the con- 
duct of ancient Israel, choosing for themselves a king. Hith- 
erto they had been under the government of the Lord by 
judges, who administered justice in a plain, inexpensive 
manner, and the people were free from oppression. Samuel 

i 1 



2 



THE DIVINE TOUCH OR THE CONSECRATED BAND. 



was not inferior to any who had gone before him in his devo- 
tion to the interests of the people, and he had been highly 
instrumental in promoting their peace and prosperity ; and yet, 
they "Said unto him, . . . Now make us a king to judge us 
like all the nations." They could no longer endure the idea 
of being governed in such a plain maimer, while each of the 
nations around them had its king seated on his stately throne, 
clothed in his royal apparel, with his scepter in his hand, and 
his crown of gold upon his head. With the pomp of royalty 
before them, they overlooked their own interests, and were 
blind to the fact that their advantage over the other nations lay 
in their dissimilarity to them in this respect. Although 
Samuel, by the authority of God, clearly forewarned them 
that the result of a government, like that of the nations, would 
be such burdensome exactions and severe oppressions, that 
they would cry out under them ; yet the force of his appeal was 
lost on them in the glitter of a throne, a scepter, a crown, a 
court, a retinue : "and they said, Nay; but we will have a king 
over us ; that we also may be like all the nations ; and that our 
king may judge us, and go out before us, and light our battles. " 

God often withholds the evil desires of his people in mercy, 
but sometimes he grants them in wrath; and while he admon- 
ished the children of Israel of their sin and danger, he at the 
same time yielded to their common solicitation, that he might 
correct them for their perverseness. To restrain, however, 
their haughty emulation, he caused the lot to fall, not on one 
of their nobles, but upon Saul the son of Kish. In bodily 
appearance he was prince-like, tall and handsome, just such a 
one as the people desired, and possessed qualities which in 
other nations recommended persons to the imperial dignity. 
But in the estimation of the people he was not of the rank that 
should put on the imperial robes, but belonged to the smallest 
family of the least tribe of Israel. Nor did he seem to possess 
the character of mind that would qualify him for ruling a 
nation and acting as the chief commander of its armies. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



3 



Reared up among flocks and herds, he was backward in 
appearing before the people as their king, and actually, through 
diffidence, he hid himself among the baggage of the congrega- 
tion, in hopes that, not being discovered, they would proceed 
to another choice. On this account the more ambitious among 
the people were dissatisfied with him, and in a jeering manner 
exclaimed, "How can this man save us?" — this man of no 
rank — no wealth — no influence: and they despised him and 
brought him no presents. Others, however, respected the 
choice that had been made, and, in token of their acquiescence, 
bestowed upon him the usual congratulations : and a band of 
men, divinely incited, clave to him as his honorary guard : 
"And Saul also," it is said, "went home to Gibeah ; and there 
went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched. " 

Pursuing the text in its proper application, we must keep in 
mind that the kings of Israel were types of Christ in his kingly 
office ; the people of Israel, emblems of the subjects of Christ ; 
and the sons of Belial, samples of those who are enemies to 
the administration of Christ. According to his own acknowl- 
edgement, Christ is a king. 4 1 To this end was I born, to this 
end came I into the world. " He was ordained and installed 
king in eternity, for he says, "I was set up from everlasting." 
He ruled in his church as king under the Patriarchal and Mosaic 
administrations. When he made his appearance in our nature, 
the bulk of the world did not, indeed, recognize him as one 
who was capable of filling a throne. Reared in a peasant's 
dwelling, coming forth simple in his manners, and unostenta- 
tious in his deportment, having for his train, not the nobles 
but the poor of the earth, the sons of pomp turned their eyes 
away from him, saying, ' ' There is no beauty that we should 
desire him. " Although he has now passed that glorious period 
of his administration, when he carried his glorified humanity 
to a seat on his imperial throne, where he reigns king of Zion, 
these sons of Belial have not ceased their opposition to him. 
As numerous as ever, as united as ever, and with voices loud, 



4 



THE DIVINE TOUCH OR THE CONSECRATED BAND. 



long, and as incessant as ever, they cry, "We will not have 
this man to reign over us." There is, however, a noble band — 
a remnant according to the election of grace — whose cry is 
sincere, warm, deep, humble, constant, "God save the king." 
They cleave to his person, they hold up his ensign, and cor- 
dially approve of his high, holy, and heavenly reign. Look- 
ing then from Saul to Christ, and from the band who, accom- 
panied Saul to the faithful followers of Christ in all ages, we 
may say emphatically, 4 4 And there went with him a band of 
men, whose hearts God had touched. " There are here three 
statements concerning these men, in the illustration of which, 
I shall endeavor to comprehend the matter of the text: 

I. Their Unction. 

II. Their Conjunction. 

III. Their Action. 



PART I.-THEIR UNCTION, 



"A band of men, whose hearts Gocl had touched.' 1 There 
are two leading ideas contained here in reference co this unction: 

The Seat of the Unction. 

The Soukce of the Touch which produced the 
Unction. 

I. The Seat of the Unction. Human depravity is not a 
defilement of the skin, which nitre and soap will wash off: it is 
a pollution of the heart, and cannot be affected by any opera- 
tion on the surface. True religion, then, is no surface work, 
but a radical change — a change affecting not the habits only, 
but the heart, and reaching down into the deepest recesses of 
the soul. ' 4 A band of men, whose hearts God had touched. " 
The heart is the seat of vitality; and if the heart is dead, the 
whole body is dead. This observation is a blow at the root of 
a very common and destructive error. In religion persons may 
act from habit, who are incapable of vital action. You may 
paint and decorate a dead body, and make it look like life and 
give it the motions of life, but it is a dead body still. Reared 
in a civilized and religious community, many are insensibly 
fashioned into the mere semblance of religion. They can 
observe ordinances and would perhaps think themselves in a 
truly dangerous condition, if they had not access to the Scriptures 
and a place of worship, and a people with whom they could 
keep the solemn days of fasting and thanksgiving ; and yet all 
the while they are but painted automatons, bodies without a 
heart — a vital principle. 

Every kind of life implies a power of operation suited to its 
own nature. A living body acts from the life that is in it, and 

5 



6 



THEIR UNCTION. 



the action partakes of the character of the life. It is a certain 
truth, that an action cannot be ascribed to a person as his action, 
if he has no capacity in his nature suitable to the performance 
of that kind of action, but is carried forward by an external 
impulse: it is ascribable only to the external agent who oper- 
ates upon him. We may move the limbs of a dead body, we 
may cany it about from place to place, but in no sense can 
these actions be ascribed to the body itself. Now. a spiritual 
man has a capacity to perform spiritual actions ; he compareth 
spiritual things with spiritual, he eateth spiritual meat, he 
drinketh spiritual drink, he prayeth in the spirit, he singeth 
spiritual songs, and these actions proceed from a principle of 
spiritual life within him. A carnal man may perform these 
actions ostensibly, he may be religious from habit or a desire 
to obtain a devout reputation, or to fill the circles of society 
with encomiums upon his character ; but these are not living 
actions ; they do not proceed from a living principle in the man. 
He moves because he is acted upon. It is the mechanical 
movements of an automaton, or the bearing about of a 
corpse. 

We speak not slightly of an outward form of religion. 
Where there is true religion in the heart it will run into the 
form as naturally as water will flow in its proper channel. 
Where there is no form of religion, there is no religion. You 
must not spurn the form of religion (indeed you will not spurn 
it if you have religion,) but you must guard against resting in 
the form. You must act in it from living hearts. Not only 
the course of your actions must be changed, but your hearts 
must be quickened. Here is the seat of the evil and here the 
renewal must begin. 

We are prone to ponder religion as contained in line theories, 
in forms and modes and decencies. But turning away from 
our own judgment and listening to the infallible teacher, it 
comes to us under this lively description, kk He that believeth 
on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



i 



rivers of living water." The heart is uniformly declared to be 
the only seat of true religion, where alone it can exert its 
power and accomplish its purposes. Here the Holy Spirit 
begins his gracious operations ; here he subsists as the fountain 
of spiritual life, as the vital principle which animates the whole 
being of the Christian. Void are all outward declarations of 
submission to God, if they flow not from the working of the 
Spirit of life. A mere principle of the understanding separate 
from the temper of the heart contains in it nothing holy : it is a 
mere operation of the intellect in which there is nothing either 
good or evil. If the doctrines of the gospel were merely 
speculative, the natural understanding would be sufficient to 
receive them ; but they are holy in their nature, and therefore, 
require a correspondent temper of heart to receive and enter 
into them. Why is it that "the natural man receiveth not the 
things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them ? " Not 
because he is a stone or a block and without natural powers, 
but, because spiritual things being "spiritually discerned, " a 
mere act of the intellect is not sufficient for their reception. 
Before, then, we can enter into spiritual things, we must be 
brought under the operation of that Spirit from whom they 
emanate. There is no virtue in external conformity to divine 
principles, farther than as it arises from a virtuous propensity 
of the heart. The skilful artist may draw the exact picture of 
a man, but it has in it neither life nor soul. In like manner a 
person by external conformity to the doctrines and ordinances 
of the gospel, may exhibit a very good portrait of a Christian, 
and at the same time be destitute of the soul of Christianity. 

The purifying of the waters of Jericho with salt was an 
emblem of the change that must take place within as, in order 
to right action. This water, no doubt, presented all the 
appearance of good water, but ' ' it was naught. " However 
good in appearance our outward conduct may be, yet if it does 
not proceed from a change of heart, it proceeds from selfish 
and carnal motives, is directed to unworthy purposes, is meas- 



•3 



THEIii UNCTION. 



ured by a false rule, and "is naught." Not only, then, must the 
stream flow out in its proper direction, but salt must be cast into 
the fountain to sweeten and purify its waters. Clearly, then, 
the fountain of all right desires, right affections, right actions 
is the heart, c ' Man looketh on the outward appearance, but 
the Lord looketh on the heart. 1 ' Stripping off every disguise, 
passing by forms the most pompous, and looking over lan- 
guage of the deepest humility and expressions of the most 
ardent affection, he says, "Son, give me tlry heart.- 1 Hear 
the prayer of David, "Create in me a clean heart," Listen to 
Paul's direction, "Be renewed in the spirit of your minds." 
Hearken to the explicit reprimand of the Savior, "Thou blind 
Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and the 
platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." From all 
this it is plain, that persons may have a fair outside, and yet at 
the same time be distressing specimens and illustrations of what 
the Scriptures term, "Dead in trespasses and in sins." 

Before, then, you can be living men in the spiritual world, 
you must act from a spiritual impulse upon your hearts. Many 
changes may take place in the spirit and conduct of him who 
is not born of God. Men may be habituated to outward 
courses of action that are contrary to their natural inclinations, 
and it is astonishing to what degrees of eminence men will rise 
in outward propriety of conduct, and yet on occasion will 
manifest that their natures are unaltered. This truth we have 
exemplified in Saul, who, at the time we are considering him, 
possessed such an unexceptionable character that we would be 
disposed to say, he is a good man. Indeed, the prophet 
Samuel said unto him, "Thou shalt be turned into another 
man;" and God, it is said, "gave him another heart. 11 He 
was inspirited with firmness and resolution, and his mind 
expanded to great designs of promoting the welfare of his 
people Israel, by ruling and delivering them, and subjugating 
their foes. He was also brought under devout sentiments and 
feelings ; and indeed his behavior for a time seemed very 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



9 



promising, though he afterwards became atrociously wicked. 
The peculiar dispensations of God, in his case, were a means of 
unfolding his character and showing that the other man, he had 
become, was not the new man ; and the other heart, which had 
been t given him, was not the renewed heart. Here then is a 
ground to awaken within you the strongest jealousy of your 
real sincerity. Multitudes have set out with professions as 
high and characters as unsullied as Saul's, and they have 
become in the end as flagitious. What if your religion is a 
mere simulation and your inward man has never been brought 
under the renovating power of God ? Of all alternatives this is 
the most momentous. And as the trials and temptations of 
life shall yet unfold your principles and display your character, 
be greatly concerned that you are persons, ' i whose hearts God 
has touched." 

Love is said by the highest authority to be the fulfilling of 
the law. This certainly implies that the law is not fulfilled 
when our obedience is not influenced by love to God. What- 
ever then is done otherwise than as an expression of lo ve, let it 
wear what face it may, it is a sinful act. If this disposition do 
not prevail, indifference or evil passions will, both of which are 
contrary to the divine law. Men may perform acts which God 
commands, and at the same time perform them unwillingly. 
Conscience may force them to move contrary to their inclina- 
tions. They may do what is not their choice to escape the 
clangers which they dread. Now, however conformable such 
actions may be to the moral law, they are completely destitute 
of moral worth ; supreme selfishness and not love to God being 
the governing principle upon which they are performed. We 
ourselves esteem nothing in a fellow creature which is not, in 
some mode or other, the expression of love. Does the father 
esteem the obedience of a son, if he perceives that it is rendered 
under the influence of dislike to his duty ? If a wife were ever 
so assiduous in attending, yet if he were certain that her heart 
was not with him but set upon another, he would abhor her 



10 



THEIR UNCTION. 



endeavors to please, and nothing that she did would be accep- 
table in his sight. God will sanction no outward profession, 
however goodly, that does not proceed from a heart sincerely 
devoted to him. The very essence of acceptable obedience is 
represented as consisting in love : " If ye will hearken diligently 
unto my commandments, to love the Lord your God with all 
your heart and with all your soul." 

Now hear what Paul says to Titus : 4 1 This is a faithful say- 
ing, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that 
they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain 
good works." We feel inclined to inquire here, if it is only 
from believers that these works are required. The apostle 
certainly did not intend to inculcate that none but believers 
were under obligation to do good works, or should be 
exhorted to perform good works ; but he does, that none 
but believers can perforin good works — that none should 
attempt to perform them — that none should be exhorted to 
perform them, except in the way of believing. Certainly 
nothing is good, strictly speaking, but that which is in 
some degree a conformity to the moral law ; and we have 
said that nothing contains the least degree of conformity to the 
moral law, unless it includes faith in love. Unbelievers may 
perform works which are good with respect to the matter of 
them : they may read and hear the word, they may pray, they 
may praise, they may communicate, they may relieve the dis- 
tressed, and give alms to the poor ; but as they do not perform 
these things in a right manner, from a principle of faith and 
love, they are sinful. There is, therefore, no such thing as 
morality in unconverted men. It is common for us to call 
those actions moral which appear to be so, and it is proper that 
we should do so, as it is beyond our province to take cognizance 
of the heart. But the most splendid actions of wicked men are 
an abomination in the sight of that Supreme Being, who alone 
is able to judge of actions so as perfectly to ascertain their 
motives. If a wicked man prays or frequents the means of 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



11 



grace, his prayer is an abomination to the Lord. Whether he 
eat or drink, plough the soil or gather in the harvest, all is 
iniquity. ' ' Incense is an abomination unto me ; it is iniquity, 
even the solemn meeting. " It is wrong then for men to attempt 
to do good merely as men. It is wrong to encourage men in 
such a course. It is disloyalty to God, betrays his just 
authority over the heart, admitting in behalf of him that which 
we should despise if offered to ourselves by a fellow creature. 
God does not require such services, for in such reformations, 
men do not turn from sin to holiness, but from one sin to 
another. And it is from a less sin to a greater sin they turn. 
It is a sin for men to neglect their duty to God, but it is a 
greater sin to turn from the neglect of duty to mocking God 
by self-righteous and carnal obedience. It may be said that in 
seeking such reformation we act for the good of society. We 
answer : No, that we are only hatching and nourishing scorpions 
in the very bosom of society. We are making men worse, and 
society is deceived, and thrown off its guard. It is not for the 
good of society that there are snakes in the grass, and the 
people know it not — to think that their enemies are all gone, 
while they are only hidden in their midst. In seeking merely 
the external reformation of men, we act unfaithfully towards 
them. It tends to quiet their conscience, and to cherish the 
opinion that having complied with many of the requirements of 
God's law, they have done many things pleasing and acceptable 
in his sight, while in truth every thought and imagination of 
their heart has been only evil continually. It may be said that 
this representation reduces the unconverted sinner to a terrible 
state. In neglecting his duty he commits sin, in attempting it, 
if he is still in his unconverted state, he commits a greater sin. 
But if this is really his situation, will it mend the matter to 
daub it with the untempered mortar of palliation % On the con- 
trary, will it not render it more terrible ? Are we not indul- 
ging him in a course in which he is heaping upon his head a 
load of guilt that will sink him into endless perdition ? For 

2* 



12 



THEIR UNCTION. 



hini to die is to plunge into a gulf of endless despair, and to 
live, if he continues in his enmity to God, is worse : it is heap- 
ing wrath, in an enlarged degree, against the day of wrath. I 
feel strongly inclined here to set down a narrative which I 
think, gives force to what I have now said. 

An eminent young minister was present at a social party one 
afternoon. Among the persons present was a female who 
retained marked traces of a recent and very severe illness, and 
she related to the company the incidents of the deep affliction 
through which she had passed. She had been taken ill, and grad- 
ually became worse, until at last the physician avIio attended her 
said to her father, L * I have no hope of your daughter now ; it is 
impossible for her to recover ; and I wish you to tell your child 
what I say." She was one of seven children. Her father was a 
wealthy farmer accumulating large sums of money. Everything 
he touched seemed to turn into gold. His children were taught 
to think of hardly anything but the art of acquiring wealth, 
and gold appeared to be the only god worshipped in the family. 
The father, however, was much distressed at the idea of losing 
his daughter, for she was a favorite. It was not without a 
severe struggle that he brought himself to speak to her on the 
subject, but, at last, he told her what the physician had said. 
She received the intelligence with great composure, and said. 
"Well, father, if I cannot survive. I should like to have all my 
brothers and sisters about me once more before I die.*" They 
were sent for. and father and mother, two brothers and four 
sisters surrounded the bed of the dying favorite. No doubt, 
it was a mournful scene. When she had bidden theru farewell, 
she said to her mother. ' - 1 should like to give something to each 
to remember me by, when I am gone;" and her clothes, her 
little jewels, and her money being brought to her, a little parcel 
was made up for each as a memorial of her, when she would be 
dead. Contrary to all expectation, however, she from that Say 
began to amend, and at the time of her appearing at the little 
party, she had pretty well recovered. 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



13 



When she had finished her recital, the young minister 
observed to her, "It is not often a person is brought so nigh 
the gates of death, and comes back to tell us how she felt. I 
should like to know what the state of your mind was when you 
thought you were going to die. " 

" Oh ! " said she, ' ' I was very happy. " 

He replied, "It is a solemn thing to appear in the presence 
of God, to give an account of every thought and word and 
action. To what place did you expect to go when you died?" 

"Why to heaven, certainly," said she. 

"So does everybody," he replied. "If you ask the drunk- 
ard and the Sabbath breaker and the liar, they all hope to go 
to heaven. But on what ground did you found your hope?" 

'''Why, I never did anybody any harm; I had always been 
dutiful to my parents, and an affectionate sister, and kind to 
my neighbors. " 

"Oh!" said the young minister, "that is^delightful, so far as 
it goes. It is pleasing to think of one who has a dutiful 
daughter, and a kind sister and neighbor. But had you no 
other ground of hope?" 

"No," she replied, "were they not sufficient?" 

He made no direct reply, but said, "I am very thankful you 
did not die. " 

"Why ? " she replied sharply, "Do you think I should not 
have gone to heaven ? " 

"Yes," said he, "I am sure you would not! You were 
hoping to go to heaven without Christ. The Bible knows 
nothing of sinners being saved without Christ. You were rest- 
ing on a false foundation, and had you died, that foundation 
would have given way and you would have fallen through it 
into perdition," 

She was impressed and arrested, and begged the 
young minister to instruct her. He explained to her the 
way of salvation, and God blessed what he said for her conver- 
sion. — The Weekly Christian Teacher, Page 31$. 



11 



THEIR UXCTIOX. 



I will recur to this narration again for another purpose. I 
only observe here that there are multitudes who are expecting to 
go to heaven on the same principle that the farmer's daughter 
was expecting to go thither. Poor creatures, they know not 
their need of a Savior ! O reader, whatever may he your char- 
acter for amiable qualities, never think of going to heaven 
without Christ ! By your peaceful temper and regular conduct, 
you may call forth the admiration of men. and still lie a stranger 
to God. It would not be easy to say how many pleasing and 
graceful accomplishments may adorn the character, which has 
yet never felt the power of divine grace. There are some who 
seem to be constitutionally opposed to intemperance, profanity, 
and falsehood ; who have such a high sense of integrity that 
they would despise doing a mean act. There are others who 
are constitutionally humane and tender-hearted, generous and 
liberal in their dispositions. But all this assemblage of amiable 
qualities may be nothing more than the mere production of 
unrenewed nature, though in its mildest and most attractive 
form. Therefore, all these qualities may adorn the character 
of a man who has never seriously pondered his condition as a 
guilty creature, condemned by the divine law. The glorious 
and lovely character of God the Savior may never have kindled 
in his bosom one spark of affection, and he may never once 
have felt his need of being washed from his sins in the blood of 
Christ. He niay be deceived by those amiable traits of char- 
acter which procure for him the admiration of his fellow men. 
The finer sensibilities of his nature may be regarded by him- 
self as they are by others, as an infallible evidence of true 
religion. Whatever beauty of character a* man may possess, if 
the finger of God has not touched his heart, he is but a melan- 
choly example of * k the things which arc highly esteemed among 
men, but which are an abomination in the sight of God." 

From what has now been said, it must appear also that a 
mere profession of religion will not take a man to heaven ; for 
the form of godliness unconnected with its power is utterly 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



15 



worthless. The enlivening principle of all religion is faith in 
the Redeemer, and that love to God which is shed abroad in the 
hearts of believers by the Holy Spirit. And if this be wanting, 
however exact may be your outward conformity, you are only 
whited sepulchres which appear beautiful without, but within 
are full of rottenness and corruption. And it must not be 
passed over that many make a profession of religion for the 
purpose of gaining some temporal advantage. There are cer- 
tain conditions of society in which it is not creditable to be with- 
out a religious profession. In such circumstances worldly 
minded people may assume the appearance and perform the 
external duties of religion. Under such dissimulation the 
vilest passions of our nature and the most extreme corruption 
of principle often lie concealed. As an example of this we may 
refer to the notice which our Lord takes of the scribes and 
Pharisees. They were distinguished by the scrupulous exact- 
ness with which they observed the Mosaic law. They made 
pretences to extraordinary devotion. They prayed in the 
synagogues and in the corners of the streets. They fasted 
often and disfigured their countenances to make men think they 
were extremely pious. They tithed their garden vegetables, 
the mint, the anise, and the cummin. Yet it is testified of 
them that they loved the praise of men — that through covet- 
ousness, under the cloak of religion, they perpetrated the most 
flagrant injustice — pillaged the houses of widows and orphans 
without remorse. For these things the most severe judgments 
were denounced against them. It was altogether proper for 
them to observe the duties of the Mosaic economy, ' "these 
ought they to have done but they disregarded the weightier 
matters of the law ; judgment,, mercy, and faith. This served 
to show the base motives under which they labored to conceal 
their assumed conscientiousness. They "strained at a gnat, 
and swallowed a camel. 11 We, indeed, cannot speak in that 
decisive and authoritative manner of the state of men, that the 
Savior could, who knew what was in man. Yet such actors do 



16 



THEIR UXCTIOX. 



by their extraordinary inconsistency so open themselves that the 
eye of man can detect their subtlety. Hence we find Isaiah in 
the name of the Lord reproving such characters, not only for 
their open wickedness, but even for their exercises of religion, 
by which they sought to satisfy their consciences, and preserve 
their reputation. - k To what purpose is the multidude of your 
sacrifices unto me : saith the Lord. . . . Bring no more vain 
oblations. . . . Your new moons and your appointed feasts 
my soul hateth. They are a trouble unto me. I am weary to 
bear them. " 

And again hear the Lord speaking to the people of Israel in 
Isaiah's time : k ' Forasmuch as this people draw near me with 
the mouth, and with their lips do honor me. . . . and their fear 
toward me is taught by the precept of men.** From this 
description there is no difficulty in understanding the nature of 
this evil. Here the bod}' is presented before God t and the lips 
move towards him. but the affections which were the main 
thing he required were not set upon him. Then the prophet 
goes on to tell what would follow this. • 6 Therefore, behold, I 
will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a 
marvellous work and. a wonder.*' 

The church of Sarclis was an example of this state and the 
danger consequent upon it. They had, u « name to lire." 1 
Everything in their outward appearance was promising. They 
professed the truth and had not deviated into heresy, and had 
the ordinances of God regularly administered among them : and 
the}' were considered by others and by themselves as vitally 
united to Christ : but he whose eyes were as a flame of fire pro- 
nounced them dead — a corpse, with the appearance of life; 
but mechanically moved from fear or the force of custom, or 
motives of honor, they run the whole round of outward duties, 
but have no attachment to them on their own account. And 
this condition soon terminated in the removal of the candlestick 
out of its place. So, many press upon Christ in respect of 
profession, who touch him not by faith. He is near their 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



17 



lips but far from their reins. They are present where he dis- 
plays his glory and dispenses his fullness ; but they hunger not 
for the one, nor have eyes to behold the other. Though he 
tench in their streets and walk in their assemblies, his voice is 
not heard nor his condescension admired. Though the joyful 
sound be proclaimed, and the year of the redeemed be come, 
the captive exile hasfeth not to be loosed, nor the prisoners 
of darkness come forth to show themselves. Insensibility of 
mind and growing hardness of heart are the native fruits of 
hearing the gospel without attention — without faith: and none 
sport so frequently with all that is real and important in religion, 
as those who have long had the means of grace, while they 
receive the grace of God in vain. I hear the voice of the 
prophet guarding our assemblies, like the angel's flaming sword 
the tree of life, in the apalling language of assertion and inter- 
rogation, 1 ' The sinners in Zion are afraid ; and f earf ulness hath 
surprised the hypocrites. Who among us can dwell with 
devouring fire? who anions; us shall dwell with everlasting 
burnings % " Nothing excites God's anger more swiftly than a 
man's attending to the ordinances of his house, and making an 
outward profession of Christ, while he has no part nor lot in the 
matter. A curse is pronounced upon . the man who dares to 
touch the Outward form of religion, if he have not the pow r er of 
it. Hear the solemn penalty, "He that eateth and drinketh 
unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not dis- 
cerning the Lord's body. " 

II. We are led to consider the Source of the Touch. We 
do not slide into it by any natural progress — by the advances 
of education — by the courses of self culture and philanthropic 
practice : it is not produced by human authority and counsel, 
but by the power of God. lt A band of men, whose hearts 
God had touched." From the Source of the Touch we are 
taught : 

1. The Siipematuralness of the Touch. We have seen the 
text correcting a very serious and common mistake — a mistake 

.2 



18 



THEIR UNCTION. 



which many make with regard to the nature of religion, placing 
it in outward forms, while it springs from a change of heart. 
Here we see it correcting another mistake equally serious, and 
not less common — a mistake with regard to the production of 
religion, tracing it to human power, while it is produced by the 
power of God. It is natural to fallen men to attempt their own 
regeneration, magnify their own ability, and depreciate the 
agency of the Spirit of God. It is on this mistaken presump- 
tion that sinful men procrastinate religion. They run on in a 
course of sin, not because they have deliberately made up their 
minds to go to hell, but because they presume that they have 
power at any given point of their sinful career to arrest their 
progress, believe, repent, and be saved. Thus they are kept 
the willing slaves of sin, stilling their fears under the fatal 
delusion that in the moment of danger they can burst their 
fetters and be free. 

But where is the proof of a self reforming power in the human 
mind, that men should allow themselves to be led astray by 
such a deceptive unction ( If it is God that changes the heart, 
then it is God only who can change the heart ; for he would not 
put forth a finger to do what we ourselves can do. If we con- 
sider the representation which the Scriptures give us of the 
depravity of the human heart, we will see that no being but 
God has power to grapple with such a malady — blind, deaf, 
dumb, lame, dead. But these, it is said, are figures. I know 
that they are figures — figures which the Spirit of God has 
selected to set forth the moral condition of men in their natural 
state. But the Scripture never uses figurative language, but 
to throw clearer light on the point to which it refers. But, if 
according to the theory Ave oppose, religion is purely an exer- 
cise of the human heart — if the sinner has power in himself to 
act religiously, if he will, then what light do these figures 
throw on his moral condition? Is a man blind merely because 
he refuses to open his eyes and see \ or deaf merely because 
he will not hear? or dumb merely because he will not talk \ 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



19 



or lame merely because he will not walk ? or dead merely 
because he refuses to put forth the actions of life ? If blindness 
means a want of power to see, and deafness means a want of 
power to hear, and lameness means a want of power to walk, 
and dumbness means a want of power to talk ; if death means 
an extinction of the principle of spiritual life, then the figures 
teach that man in his natural state is totally depraved ; and 
must be made new — regenerated by the power of God before he 
can act spiritually. Can a blind man restore himself to sight ? 
Can a deaf man open his ears and hear ? Can a lame man of 
himself rise up and walk? Can a dumb man talk? Can a dead 
man give motion to his heart, and cause his lungs to play? 
The strongest figures fall behind that which they are intended 
to symbolize. It is so here, for are the maladies of the mind 
less palsying than those of the body ? When the heart is smitten, 
the malady must be extreme. 

If the soul of man had merely been injured by the fall, there 
would have been reason to believe that the injury could have 
been repaired by the native operation of the vital principle. 
All life is possessed of a recuperative power to repair injuries 
inflicted upon it. If you strike your ax into an oak or an elm, 
in time it will solidify and fill up the breach. If a cut is made 
in the flesh of a living animal, new flesh is soon in process of 
formation, and at length the wound is healed ; but dead bodies 
possess no such power. The death of the soul implies essen- 
tially the extinction of the very principle of spiritual life, so 
that there is no remaining principle of goodness in the soul that 
might be looked to as a fountain of healing. As well might a 
tree, whose root and stalk have died in the ground, be expected 
to renew its foliage, or a dead body shut up in a loathsome 
grave and rapidly undergoing decomposition, to arise and put 
on new life, and come forth with renewed youth and vigor, as 
a dead sinner of himself to live and act spiritually. Man being 
thus totally depraved, salvation is impossible by the plan which 
places the proemial act in man's own will. 



20 



THEIR UNCTION. 



To deny that the hearts of good men are quickened and ani- 
mated to duty, by a secret, invisible, and mighty operation, is 
in effect to deny all religion. To ascribe this operation to man's 
own agency is not only to contradict the testimony of Scripture, 
but to admit difficulties which are not to be satisfactorily 
accounted for on any principle of nature or reason. We can 
never suppose without conceding to an incongruity, that any 
being totally defiled can renovate itself. Such a conclusion 
carries with it its own dagger, and involves in it an incompat- 
ible hypothesis, which we cannot possibly allow. For if an}' 
given being totally corrupt can be supposed to renovate itself, 
the renovation must commence in some polluted part, because 
that which is entirety corrupted in a natural sense, or polluted 
in one that is moral, can contain in its nature nothing but cor- 
ruption and pollution. And to suppose that that which is 
throughout corrupted or polluted can renovate itself, is to 
suppose that corruption can generate incorruption, and that pol- 
lution can beget purity. We must suppose it to act in opposi- 
tion to itself, and to produce an effect which is not contained in 
its nature, which is a clear contradiction. For as no cause has 
the power of producing an effect which is the reverse of itself, 
so nothing can result from any given principle which is not 
virtually included in its nature. Therefore, it must follow that 
any nature that is entirely polluted must be destitute of the 
power of self renovation, it must follow also that the renovation 
of human nature, as well as its reconciliation to God must arise 
from some extraneous cause ; and that cause operating on pol- 
luted nature, so as to produce its renovation, must be sujie matu- 
red, and therefore must come from God. 

None will affirm that God who is a Spirit cannot have access 
to the spirits which he has made, or that there is the least 
absurdity in supposing that if he pleases he can impress the 
mind with a firm and lively belief of future and invisible things ; 
incline the will to a cheerful compliance with the doctrines of 
his word, soften the heart, and so touch the affections as to 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



21 



make them an effectual spring of action. God takes this work 
to himself, "A new heart will I give you, and a right spirit 
will I put within you." True indeed it is, that in conversion 
man himself wills, but this movement of man's will is not by 
an act of his own power, but is the result of a previous move- 
ment of the divine will upon his will. God's will moves first. 
Man wills because God has made him willing. Is it not so i 
' 'Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling ; for it 
is God wiiich worketh in you both to will and to do of his good 
pleasure. " 

Now Arminian, what do you think of this ? 

'-I acknowledge that man is morally unable to perform these 
acts of willing and doing ; but you will certainly allow that he 
has a physical ability for their performance."" 

I certainly believe that man can perform physical acts — that 
he can walk and run and build houses; but what relation have 
such acts to acts that are mental, such as knowing and loving 
God, believing and repenting? 

k 1 Perhaps you would understand me better if 1 would say 
that man has a natural ability to know and love God, to believe 
and repent." 

What do you mean by a natural ability f 

wt I mean that man is a rational being, possessed of under- 
standing and will, and can reason and judge and think in a 
natural <cay. " 

Am I therefore to understand that because man has a natural 
ability to study astronomy, or philosophy, or demonstrate a 
proposition in geometry, that he is therefore able to will and to 
do morally. I still inquire what the natural exercise of the 
mental faculties has to do with the spiritual exercise of those 
faculties \ That man has natural powers, I do not deny ; but 
that he can exert these powers in doing what is morally good, 
I do den)'. An act and its principle must correspond, the one 
with the other. An ability that is natural, is adequate only to 
the performance of natural acts : acts that are moral can only 



22 



THEIR UXCTIOX. 



be performed by a moral power. The declaration, therefore, 
that man has a natural power to perform spiritual acts, is not 
true. But pray, what do you mean by a moral inability f 

k -I mean an inability arising from the will — a want of wil- 
lingness to do what is spiritually good.'' 

Then yow mean that a sinner can come to Christ if he will t 

"Precisely." 

Then I understand that your moral inability is no more than 
the inability of a man in good health to go out of his house, 
Y\'hen he has no inclination to do so. Then it is a mere volun- 
tary inability — an inability that can be produced or suspended at 
pleasure — suspended by a mere act of the will. How does 
this harmonize with the Savior's declaration, "Xo man can 
come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him ?" 
And, on this supposition, where would be the room for the 
apostle's distinction between, God's working in us to will, and 
his working in us to do i On this principle explain to me the 
meaning of the apostle's language, The natural man receivetk 
not the things of the Spirit of God ; for they are foolishness 
unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spirit- 
ually discerned." Why is it that the things, of the Spirit of 
God are foolishness to the natural man \ 

k - Because he willingly misrepresents them." 

But the apostle says, "He cannot know them." 

"This arises only from inattention to them." 

But this inability cannot be remedied by any efforts of the 
natural man, for, says the apostle, "They are spiritually dis- 
cerned." That is. he means, a new capacity of understanding 
must be given by the Holy Spirit in regeneration. If man's 
inability to do what is spiritually good was only moral" in the 
sense maintained by you, then nothing more would be necessary 
to saving conversion than moral suasion. 

•*I allow an internal work of the Spirit." 

But still I insist upon it, that according to your view of 



THE SEAT OE THE UNCTION. 



23 



moral inability, this internal work of the Spirit in reference to 
the will, has no other effect than that of moral suasion, the 
will having sufficient ability to choose what is spiritually good. 
Keally according to this view, the Spirit does not influence the, 
sinner at all, but only tries to influence him. 

In opposition to this, the Spirit of God declares, that we are 
"born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the 
will of man, but of God/ 1 Our regeneration is here expressed 
by being born; and it comes, "not of blood" — not by natural 
generation. The principle of spiritual life is not concreated 
with us, as the principle of natural and the principle of intel- 
lectual life. The blood of all men being corrupt can have no 
influence in regeneration : "Nor of the will of the flesh" — not 
by our own natural choice as fallen creatures, whose will being 
"the will of the flesh" is enmity to God, and impotent to every 
thing that is spiritually good: "Nor of the will of man. 11 No 
man has power to convert another. The best men may labor 
for the conversion of their children, their relatives, and their 
friends with trembling anxiety; they may exert an influence 
over them, may convince their judgment, alarm their con- 
sciences, and reform their lives, but they cannot change their 
hearts. The appointed means indeed must be used. They are 
channels prepared for the descent of the Holy Spirit into the 
heart. But the power is not in the means. If this were so, 
then with the means we would have the power. Why then 
pray for the Holy Spirit? In the healing of the waters of 
Jericho, the salt could have no natural efficiency; but was 
merely a sign of the efficient agency of Jehovah. When Paul 
preached by the river side at Philippi, a woman by the name of 
Lydia was converted; but did Paul convert her ? Did the word 
which Paul preached convert her ? No ! ' 'The Lord opened 
her heart. 11 

I know, indeed, that it is very humbling, to the heart of a 
self sufficient man, to be reduced to a mere instrumentality^ in 
the hands of God, for saving himself. He would like to be an 



2± 



THEIR UNCTION. 



efficient helper in the work. If he might begin the work by 
willing, God might end it. But to trace the origin of every 
holy movement of his heart to the sovereign will of God — Ah ! 
poor, proud man does not like this. The reason is because 
it reduces him to absolute helplessness — strips him of every 
fragment of good — makes him nothing — nothing did I say? — 
worse than nothing — a sinner, entirely a sinner, with a heart 
full of enmity. This is low ground to stand upon, but sinful 
man must stand upon it before he can be saved. 

2. The Source of this Touch discloses the Preordinance of 
the Touch. It was not a device of the moment, to meet an 
exigency : for. Avhatever God dees now, he must have purposed 
from all eternity to do. It is characteristic of an intelligent 
being to operate according to a plan. Every wise architect set- 
tles the plan of his structure before he commences its erection. 
If we take the position that God has formed no plan in refer- 
ence to whatever comes to pass, we exhibit him as operating 
without design ; and so reckon to a being of infinite intelligence 
a manner of operation which would be detractive to the charac- 
ter of a bounded creature, What an idea of God is this ? A being 
moving in the dark, heaping together materials, not knowing 
what shape the structure will be ( This is not the God the 
apostle describes, "Who worketh all things after the counsel 
of his own will.' 1 The working of God signifies his operations, 
in creation, in providence, and in grace. These operations are 
just the evolutions of his purpose. These evolutions are many; 
but on account of the perfect unity of the divine nature, which 
is, God considered as one mere and perfect act, without any 
composition or succession, viewing all things perfectly, with an 
intuitive glance, in the full light of absolute knowledge ; com- 
prehending all things at the same moment, without distraction, 
without difficulty, without the smallest disturbance of his tran- 
quility and felicity; having all things presented to his mind — 
all that has been, all that is, and all that will be. His purpose, 
therefore, must be viewed as one simple act of his mind, in 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



25 



which the whole train of events that could flow from it, passed 
immediately in review before him ; and his ere was steadily 
fixed on every action — every event that would sooner or later 
flow out of it. Therefore, there can be no more a new thought, 
a new intent, or a new purpose in God, than there can be a new 
God. Whatever God thinks, he ever thought, always doth, 
and ever will think. He saith, i; I know the thoughts that I 
think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give 
you an expected end.' 1 As he cannot know anything new, 
neither can he intend anything new ; for his name is, I AM. 
He takes no new counsels as men, neither draws up new deter- 
minations. This view of the subject is in entire unison with 
the character of God, the declaration of his truth, and the 
common sense of mankind. This reasoning being correct, our 
position is correct, that God touched the hearts of his people, 
because he graciously determined to do so. 

This truth is exhibited in the allotment of the land of 
Canaan to ancient Israel for a possession, long before they 
existed. ' ' Remember the days of bid. consider the years of 
many generations : ask thy father, and he will show thee ; thy 
elders, and they will tell thee. "When the Most High divided 
to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons 
of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the 
number of the children of Israel. As far back as the flood, 
when God divided the nations their inheritance, he had Israel 
in view, and in the arrangements of the conditions and limits of 
mankind, he had an especial reference to them. This teaches 
what is more plainly expressed with regard to God's spiritual 
Israel : that his purpose of grace towards them is of very 
ancient date, even from eternity. "According to the eternal 
purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." The 
truth here declared may be proved from the positive perfection 
of the divine knowledge. We take the position that none but 
an Atheist will in calm reflection deny, that God knew all 
things from eternity. (We say "in calm reflection for some 



26 



THEIR UXCTIOX. 



Arminians in a frenzy, under the heavy hearing of the divine 
foreknowledge on their system, have denied it.) But a system 
that will not bear up under this principle, is not a divine sys- 
tem : for the Scriptures testify of God. -His understanding is 
infinite;" and, if so. his wisdom and knowledge must be with- 
out bounds, and he must eternally know all things, and the 
situations thereof, from the thoughts and movements of seraphs 
before his throne in heaven, to the volitions and actions of 
men upon the earth ; from the motions of the sun in the firma- 
ment, to the floating of atoms in his beams. If his knowledge 
was not thus extensive and minute, his wisdom could not be 
infinite, and consequently he could not be God. To avoid this 
disastrous conclusion, some have taken the position that God 
could, if he chose, know all the voluntary actions of his 
creatures ; but he chooses not to know them, lest by rendering 
them certain, he would infringe on the liberty of the will. 
This conclusion is equally disastrous with the first — that makes 
God necessarily imperfect — this makes him spontaneously so — 
setting in motion a system, shutting his eyes, and, of choice 
remaining ignorant whether it will result in his own glory. 

Xow if from eternity God had an entire comprehension of 
all things to be. with the circumstances of them, he must from 
eternity have determined them : for the prescience of God 
necessarily involves his determination. It is by fixing what 
will come to pass, that God knows what will come to pass. 
Events do not originate in the prescience of God. but they 
must be the result of his determination. God does not determine 
things because he foresees them, but he foresees them because 
he determined them. If the existence of things was the result 
merely of God's prescience ; then his determination of them 
would depend on their futurity. Then things would come to 
pass independent of his determination. Indeed, we might as 
well say that events would then take place without his existence. 
This view removes future events entirely from under the con- 
trol of God ; and supposes that he resolves them because they 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



27 



could not be hindered. When we say then that God foreknows 
all things from eternity, we virtually say that he determined 
them ; for his prescience and purpose involve each other ; and 
he foresees what will come to pass, by determining what will 
come to pass. Whatever God knows will be, certainly will be ; 
and there is nothing certainly to be, unless it is purposed to be. 
'All God's knowledge of future events, then, is the result of his 
purpose ; and consequently he purposed with himself from 
eternity everything he executes in time. It follows, there- 
fore, that all whom God calls by his grace, he determined from 
all eternity to call. Effectual calling, then, is the true and 
necessary consequence and effect of the purpose of God. This 
is directly the reverse of the position an Arminian would take. 
If he acknowledged that God foreknew all things from eternity, 
he would take the position that God from eternity foreknew 
what things would be, and then determined them to be ; thus 
making God's determination of things the result of his knowl- 
edge of them. But this position excludes God from having 
any agency in the things that coma to pass ; and they would 
come to pass whether he determined them or not. It also 
makes him dependent on the things that are for his prescient 
characteristics ; and supposes that they gave being to his 
knowledge of them eternally, before they existed, otherwise 
his knowledge of them could not be eternal. The result of our 
position is, that God? 8 determination of things is, in natural 
order, prior to his knowledge of them; that he first determined 
what things he would evolve, and then foresaw them in that 
existence which they had in the decree ; thus making his knowl- 
edge of things the result of his determination of them. 

There can be no clear knowledge of things, where there is 
not a clear conception of them in the mind. A glance at our- 
selves will convince us of this truth: for we are conscious to our- 
selves that we cannot know our own voluntary movements, until 
these movements are our present resolutions. If we foreknow 
that we will do a certain thing, we must have already resolved 



28 



THEIR UNCTION. 



to do that thing ; else we could not foreknow that we would do 
it. For example, if we foreknow that we will build a house, or 
take a journey at a certain time, we must already have deter- 
mined to build that house, to take that journey. We apply the 
same principle to God; and affirm that he cannot know his own 
voluntary determination, until he first determine. If he 
knew from eternity that he would touch the hearts of those 
men of Israel, he must from eternity have formed that purpose : 
for if at that period his determination had been unsettled, if he 
had not already come to a decision on the matter, how could he 
certainly know that he would touch their hearts ? God's having 
determined all things, then, must be the source both of their 
certain existence and of his own immutable knowledge of 
them. He knows that such and such things will be, because he 
hath settled in his will that they shall be. 

From this reasoning we may see the absurdity of those who 
maintain that God's determination to save his people takes 
place in time after they believe : for if so, then he did not know 
from eternity whom he would save — whether he would save any. 
Do you not see that, if we deny the principle that what God does 
now he always determined to do, we disrobe him of his perfec- 
tions, and reduce him to a level Avith the creature I It is also at 
direct variance with the doctrine of the Scripture : for Paul says 
to the Thessalonians, u We are bound to give thanks always to 
God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath 
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctifica- 
tion of the Spirit and belief of the truth : whereunto he called 
you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 1 ' What is the "beginning" here meant? An 
Arminian would say, it signifies the beginning of the gospel 
preached to them. But we cannot suppose that all these Thessa- 
lonians believed the gospel on its first being preached to thorn. 
Besides, the apostle plainly distinguishes their choice to salva- 
tion from their call to salvation by the gospel ; and designates 
the latter as the result of the former : they were chosen to "sal- 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



29 



vation," he says, "from the beginning," and then called to it 
by the gospel. The term ''beginning, 11 then, in the passage, 
carries the same signification that it' does in other passages 
where it undoubtedly denotes eternity, as, "The Lord pos- 
sessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 
I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the 
earth was. . . Then I was by him, as one brought up with him : 
and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; rejoic- 
ing in the habitable part of his earth ; and my delights were 
with the sons of men. " 

And here is brought to view another argument of the eternal 
choice of believers to salvation, that is, the eternal appointment 
of Christ to his mediatorial office : for if it is true that there 
never was a space in duration, in which the ever blessed God 
had no design of a mediator, then it follows that there never 
was an instance in which he had no designed subjects of media- 
tion. It may be said that wisdom, in this passage, is not the 
personal wisdom of God, but the divine attribute of wisdom 
personified. Well, then, let it mean this. Still it affords us a 
firm bottom for our argument. Here is the operation of 
divine wisdom from everlasting. And what was the object con- 
cerning which this wisdom was exercised ? What else could it 
be but redemption by Jesus Christ ? What less can be intended, 
by the expression, " My delights were with the sons of men f " 
for in what other sense could the wisdom of God be said to 
have its delights among the fallen race of Adam % What have 
we, then, in the passage even according to this view of it but 
this, in the wisdom of God the divine Redeemer was from ever- 
lasting appointed to his mediatorial office f And this is the 
meaning when he is said to be "the Lamb slain from the foun- 
dation of the world:" and in no other sense could he be said 
to be slain from the foundation of the world than in the purpose 
of God. Did then Jehovah purpose from everlasting to raise a 
trophy to the glory of his sovereign grace from the habitable 
parts of the earth, and ordain his Son as the grand medium of 



30 



THEIR UNCTION. 



his movement in the admirable achievement ? Then we may 
with safety conclude that the subjects to be concerned in this 
intervention were settled : for as an issue cannot be of later 
determination than its medium, and Christ the medium of sal- 
vation was the eternal purpose of the Father, the persons to be 
saved by him must have been his eternal purpose also. And 
we are expressly told that Christ is the foundation of election : 
' 'According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation 
of the world." The expressive expression, "before the founda- 
tion of the world," is evidently expressive of eternity. It 
carries the same meaning as the expression, '-from everlasting, 
from the beginning, or ever the earth was. " Here we are told 
in plain words, that w 4 before the earth was," was from everlast- 
ing. Before Jehovah willed creation into existence, time was 
not and continued existence was absolute duration. 

3. From the Source of this Unction we are led to consider 
the Efficacy of the Unction. This is what our catechism denom- 
inates effectual calling. The term is used to distinguish it from 
the natural or outward call of the gospel, which is God's voice 
to sinners by his word and ordinances and providences, inviting 
them to return unto him and live. This call is addressed to all 
men where the gospel comes ; but is not inseparably connected 
with salvation ; for in this sense our Lord has said, ' 'Many be 
called but few chosen. " By wddch he means that but few com- 
paratively speaking, who were externally called under the 
administration of the gospel, were chosen in Christ from eter- 
nity ; and in consequence thereof effectually called by the pow- 
erful grace of God into the glorious liberty of the gospel of 
Christ, The apostle makes the same distinction when he 
says, "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not 
many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many 
noble are called." The calling here meant cannot be the 
general calling, for that is equal to all classes of men. But 
the Corinthians could see for themselves that though there 
were a few instances in which the omnipotence of divine grace 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



31 



had been displayed in persons of high birth and quality, yet 
comparatively few of this character were the subjects of 
efficacious grace. Effectual calling, therefore, signifies more 
than the external calling of the word. It is accompanied 
with more than the partial and temporary effects which the 
word produces in some : and is that operation of divine power 
on the sinner's heart which changes it, and brings it into con- 
formity to the natural call. While the call is only natural, the 
sinner resists and overcomes it : but when it becomes effectual, 
the sinner is invariably made to yield to it. 

The heart of the children of men is set in them to do eviL 
Like a river in a flood, they rush from birth to death and hell, 
gathering momentum every hour, and bursting through all 
restraints. The dry bones in the vision of Ezekiel are intended 
by the Holy Spirit to emblematize the state of all mankind by 
nature. Viewing them in the light of this emblem, we must 
consider them as totally incapable of exercising themselves in 
the way of godliness, or of performing any of the f unctions of 
spiritual life. The ruling principle in their hearts is sin ; and 
they are dead while they live. Reason teaches the impossibility 
of a dead body restoring itself to life ; and by parity of reason- 
ing we justly conclude that a soul spiritually dead cannot cause 
itself to live. It is so : for if it were not so, then death would 
effect life, an effect greater than the cause, which is infeasible. 
Man then is not naturally religious, nor is there any power 
short of the power of God that can make him religious. Edu- 
cation, example, moral suasion may change the outward con- 
duct, polish the manners and behavior, but they can no more 
change the heart — turn an adamantine heart into a heart of 
flesh — make an impure heart holy, than as many straws could 
turn a river out of its course. When Jesus stilled the tempest 
with these two words, "Peace, he still," men wondered at the 
exhibition of his power and said, ' ' What manner of man is this 
that even the winds and the sea obey him % " But the conver- 
sion of a sinful heart is a far greater work than stilling the 



32 



THEIR UNCTION. 



ocean. Sometimes the sea of itself will be still, "but the 
wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose 
waters cast up mire and dirt." It is a divine work alone to 
still the raging sea. How remarkably does God, by the pro- 
phet Jeremiah, contrast these two : u I have placed the sand for 
the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass 
it ; and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they 
not prevail ; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it. 
But this people have a revolting and a rebellious heart ; they 
are revolted and gone." Here sinners are represented as more 
unruly than the waters of the restless and impetuous ocean. 
They stand in awe of the decree that God hath given them that 
they should not pass the bounds of the sandy shore ; yet sinners 
in the rebellion of their hearts burst through all the restraints 
of love. Behold ! beings about to take their departure into an 
eternal world ; and yet as careless about it as though they were 
never to go there, ignorant, heedless, earthly. They know not 
but that they may die to-morrow ; they live as though they 
should never die. Their souls are starving for want of spiritual 
food, but they feel no spiritual hunger and labor only for the 
meat that perisheth. If powerful motives were sufficient to 
change them, surely these are not wanting. There is a glorious 
heaven above them, a crucified Savior before them, arid a burn- 
ing hell beneath them. There are hours when conscience 
awakens from her slumbers, and surely these are awful hours ; 
for no thunder is more terrific than her voice, proclaiming the 
awful hell on which their steps take hold. In these dread hours 
the sinner hears ; his judgment clearly perceives the truth of 
what conscience proclaims, he quivers, quails, and trembles ; 
but quivering, quailing, and trembling, still he resists. On he 
goes, the resistless victim of sin ; the incessant and successful 
resistant of holiness. There is but one power that can change 
him : that is a touch of the LoitTs gracious ringer laid upon the 
heart ; no other power in heaven or earth will. He overcomes 
all, and will land in hell, unless the gracious touch arrest his 



f 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 33 

progress. That touch will master him. No sinner ever did 
overcome it : no sinner ever will overcome it. It is invincible. 

The corruptions of nature, circumstances of temptations, an 
evil world, the hostility of hell, all interfere to turn aside the 
pointed linger of Omnipotence from the object of his mercy. 
The difficulties in the way tower up into mountains. Fear not, 
God will make up the number of his chosen. ' L Who art thou, 
O great mountain ! before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a 
plain." His grace will prove sufficient for the work. No 
doubt it has a great work to do. See sinners in franticness 
careering along the brow of the burning gulf. One after 
another they fall over into the fiery abyss. One would think 
that the screams of the perishing ones would call the surviving 
ones to a halt, but with louder song they sing, and with 
quicker step dash forward, as little affected by the fate of their 
companions, as the winged insects that on autumn evenings 
dash successively into the flame of our lamp. Now the linger of 
Jehovah reaches the heart of one. He pauses in his awful 
career. His companions rush on, but he will go no farther. 
He becomes serious and thoughtful ; he listens with fear and 
trembling to the things which concern his peace ; his heart beats 
quicker as he hears of the love of Jesus, and his soul is athirst 
for his salvation. See his stubborn knees bending, his hard 
heart melting, his dry eyes weeping : hear his loosened tongue 
pleading for mercy ! The man now lives, he can think and 
feel. He is no more like what he was than a living man is 
like a breathless corpse. Speak to him of heaven, of its puri- 
ties and glories, and he longs to be there. Speak to him of 
hell, and he trembles. Mark what a change has taken place in 
his affections. Burst from the fetters which bound them to 
earth, they soar aloft to heaven. Look at his will ! The very 
heart which yesterday presumptuously said, ' ' Who is the Lord 
that we should serve him ?" to-day asks in humble dependence 
at the feet of Jesus, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" 

Here is a great change ; a more effectual transformation will 

3 



34 



THEIR UNCTION. 



not be seen when Jehovah's voice shall call to the dust of the 
redeemed, and the life-giving breath shall come from the four 
winds, and breathe upon the dead that they may live. ' ' You 
hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." 
The wisdom of the world apprehendeth not this death ; but if 
the suspension of all animal sensation and mental sensibility 
awaken fearful apprehensions in the minds of weeping friends, 
may not the same insensibility to the affairs of spiritual life 
excite equal apprehensions in the minds of those who look with 
deepest interest upon a brother's soul, whether he be living unto 
God, or perishing in his sins % A dead man ! what is he % Let 
all his friends pour into his ears the sweet words of consolation, 
and he hears them not ; let him be told of the noblest portion 
that love could bequeath to him, and he is dumb ; let riches be 
set before him, and the silver and gold cannot attract him. A 
dead soul ! what is this ? not a contradiction, but a most cer- 
tain truth, a most awful reality. We hold up the cross, but it 
has no attractions ; we preach Christ crucified, and invite it to 
look up to the man of sorrows, but not a chord of the heart 
responds ; we show it the ungodly with a curse upon him, and 
the disciple with a crown rejoicing, but it is unaffected with 
either. In fine, the "carnal mind" being "enmity against 
God," no moral inducement of any kind can reach it. An 
enemy may be allured and reconciled by the force of argu- 
ments, but enmity is deaf to all reasoning ; neither the sweetest 
promises of the gospel, nor the most terrible threatenings of 
the law can affect it, "for it is not subject to the law of God, 
neither indeed can be. " This is that spiritual death which, if 
not mastered, will be the forerunner of that flood of indigna- 
tion and wrath, tribulation and anguish that are treasured up 
against the day of wrath for every soul of man that doeth evil. 
But in this extremity the arm of the Lord is revealed ; he pro- 
claims out of Zion, "Behold thy salvation cometh." He binds 
this spiritual death and abolishes its dominion, and thus gives a 
practical reply to the question of the prophet, "Who is this 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



35 



that cometh from Eclom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? 
this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of 
his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." 
He calls, and lo ! the dead arise. You do not indeed hear the 
call, u Lazarus, come forth; 1 ' you do not see the graves open- 
ing, and the bodies of the saints waking out of their sleep ; but 
you may perceive evidences of this resurrection that ought to 
be just as conclusive — the mind gathering strength, and on 
the wings of faith and love, wide outspread, following the 
Lord to heaven — the soul disencumbered of its chains — the affec- 
tions weary of earth — the whole man pressing into the king- 
dom of God. "Come down," he says, and lo ! a Zaccheus 
descends from the sycamore of his pride and receives him into 
his house. ' 'Follow me, " he says again, and lo ! a Levi leaves 
his counter of extortion and "follows him." 

The invincibility of the Spirit in the regeneration of the soul 
is set forth in the Scriptures under several lively emblems. 
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost 
was accompanied by two outward signs emblematic of the mode 
and effect of his operations. One sign was wind, "Suddenly 
there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind." 
Wind is a common emblem of life, and denotes the life giving 
power of the Holy Spirit. He quickens dead sinners, kindles 
in them an interest in divine things, awakens their slumbering 
consciences, makes their desires and affections flow heavenward ; 
and creates their souls anew unto good works. The manner of 
the Spirit's operation is signified by "a mighty rushing wind," 
which denotes the invincible energy with which he works upon 
the minds of men, sweeping down all before him. The other 
emblem employed is that of fire, ' 1 And there appeared unto 
them cloven tongues like as of fire." The same emblem is 
employed by the prophet Jeremiah, 4 'Is not my word like as a 
fire ? saith the Lord ; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock 
in pieces?" Fire pervades bodies, going to their very center ; 
so the Holy Spirit makes a thorough change in the sinner, a 



30 



THEIR UNCTION. 



change reaching to the whole heart and life. Fire consumes 
all that is perishing ; and transforms every substances into its 
own nature ; so the Spirit burns up the impurities of the soul, 
malignant feelings, unholy affections, and carnal lusts ; and 
transforms it into its own holy nature. The other emblem 
employed by the prophet, is that of a hammer. This signifies 
the humbling, subduing power of the Holy Ghost. As a 
hammer breaketh the rock in pieces, so the Spirit subdues the 
presumptuous confidence of the proud and stout hearted, and 
renders them broken and contrite in spirit ; and it subdues also 
the rebellion and obstinacy of the will, and produces humble 
submission and obedience. 

It is no argument against the invincibility of the Holy Spirit 
in the work of effectual calling that sinners are often for a 
length of time under conviction — that they struggle long, and 
apparently in vain, with the evil propensities of which then- 
ars conscious — that a considerable time glides before they 
unhesitatingly surrender themselves to Christ in the renuncia- 
tion of their sins : this does not arise from any insufficiency in 
divine grace, but is only indicative of a variety in the method 
of the divine procedure, in adaptation, perhaps, to the peculiar 
character of the individual — it may be the method which the 
divine wisdom may see to be best fitted to disclose the evil of 
sin, to convince the sinner of his entire dependence on 
sovereign mercy, and to impress important lessons permanently 
and indelibly upon his heart. The efficacy of the divine power 
is one thing, and the circumstances under which, and the way 
in which that power shall be exerted in particular cases is 
another, and to be determined by the divine wisdom, in sub- 
servience to the divine glory. 

It must be remembered that these convictions and stragglings 
are not steps in effectual calling. Many not apprehending this, 
and taking conviction for conversion, some of them take for 
granted their conversion because they have been deeply con- 
victed ; and others of them distress themselves through fears 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



37 



that they have not been converted, because their convictions 
have not been so deep as those of others. But many are 
convicted who afterwards become careless and perish in their 
sins : as, for example, when the apostle Paul ' 'reasoned of 
righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix 
trembled;" yet he said to that herald of salvation, "Go thy 
way for this time, when I have a more convenient season I will 
call for thee. " His convenient season, however, never came, his 
convictions died away, and he afterwards "left Paul bound, 
wishing to do the Jews a pleasure." These convictions are 
produced by the common operations of the Spirit of God, and 
are necessary to be used by the sinner in effectual calling, but 
are not elements in that efficient act. For effectual calling is 
not progressively but instantaneously effected. As soon as God 
calls, the sinner lives. At first, indeed, faith is often weak, 
but as the new born infant is as much in possession of life as 
the full grown man, so the spiritual life is possessed as com- 
pletely in the moment of regeneration as ever it is afterwards, 
and previous to that moment it had no existence. There is no 
medium between life and death ; a man is either dead in sin, or 
quickened by receiving the Holy Spirit. He is either in Christ 
or out of Christ. God has either begun a good work in him, 
or he is in a state of death and corruption. By means of the 
word, accompanied by the Holy Spirit, God enlightens the 
understanding with heavenly lights, moves the will and affec- 
tions to receive and embrace Christ, and forms in the heart his 
image and the new man of which the apostle says, that it is 
"created in righteousness and true holiness." 

This representation of effectual calling being correct, it will 
follow that it must not be viewed as an act calling into action 
some concealed qualities in man, and stirring up some feelings 
of holiness that are in him, and some virtues which he 
possesses ; for then it could not be said according to the 
Scriptures that God communicates life to those atIio are dead in 
trespasses and in sins, but only that he aids their weakness and 



38 



THEIR UNCTION. 



calls forth their own exertions. Understand, we do not mean 
that God in effectual calling creates new faculties in the soul. 
Of course, we admit the existence of the natural faculties of 
the soul antecedent to regeneration, but God in regeneration 
creates a principle of spiritual life in the soul which directs all 
its faculties to their proper object. Natural men can exercise 
their minds about important truths, and so can the devils, yet 
both are alike destitute of love to God, and the qualifications 
necessary to the enjoyment of his favor. 

From the above view of effectual calling it will follow also that 
sinners can make no preparations for being effectually called : 
for, being dead in trespasses and in sins, and an act of divine 
power being necessary to quicken them, we may well inquire 
what preparation a dead man can make for being made alive : 
can he bring together his dispersed dust, and resuscitate his 
extirpated sensibilities, and thus meet the challenge of the 
prophet Jeremiah, ' 'Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the 
leopard his spots?" But the Arminian maintains that sinners 
can prepare themselves for receiving the grace of God, and that 
God favors those who thus prepare themselves above those who 
make no preparations. Hence, although the motive by which 
God stirred up Paul to preach the gospel at the city of Cor- 
inth, "for I have much people in that city," is to be interpreted 
of those who are his people by eternal election, the gift of the 
Father, and the purchase of his atonement, and were at that 
time in an unconverted state ; yet the Arminian interpretation 
is, that they were so called, not because of any absolute decree 
of their election to eternal life, but because Christ saw that 
they were disposed to believe, and by faith become his people, 
and were even then fearing God and serving him with all their 
hearts, according to the knowledge they had of him, and so 
were prepared to obey the preaching of Paul. This does not 
harmonize with the character which Paul gave of those Corinth- 
ians in another place — their character before their conversion. 
After declaring to them that ' 'neither fornicators, nor idolaters, 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



39 



nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with 
mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor extor- 
tioners shall inherit the kingdom of God," he adds, "and such 
were some of you." Strange doctrine indeed that such idola- 
trous and licentious persons, as these Corinthians were, should 
dispose of themselves, independently of divine grace prevent- 
ing them, to embrace the humbling, pure gospel of Christ ; and 
to change their jovial and sensual rites for the spiritual worship 
of the heart-searching, holy God, and that too before ever they 
heard the gospel preached. In what place soever the Lord 
hath an elect people, he will most certainly send his gospel to 
that place as a means of gathering them in ; but the ground 
upon which he sends it to them is their eternal election, and 
not any preparedness there is in them to receive it. 

"But surely those who are well informed, who are sound in 
doctrine, and moral in their character, are more disposed to 
receive the gospel than the opposite characters?" 

Not any more disposed. 

"Why then use such diligence to instruct sinners in the 
knowledge of the gospel? and why call so earnestly to them 
to turn from their evils ways?" 

Because these are means which God uses in the effectual 
calling of sinners ; but they have not in themselves any 
efficiency in that work ; nor do they in any measure render the 
sinner worthy of it, or in the least dispose him for its recep- 
tion. 

' 'You call upon believers to prepare themselves for commun- 
ion with God." 

Because in addressing persons as believers we suppose them 
to be under the power of the divine life ; but this is surely 
a different case from calling upon those who are under the 
power of spiritual death to prepare themselves for being made 
alive. 

' 'But the promises of the gospel are directed only to those 
who previously prepare themselves for its reception, as for 



40 



THEIR UNCTION. 



example, the promise, 'Draw nigh to God, and he will draw 
nigh to you. ' " 

So then you think the promise means that the sinner must 
first begin to move towards God before God will take one step 
towards him. But the truth is, God moves first, and the draw- 
ing nigh to God on the part of the sinner is not to be under- 
stood of a preparation made by the sinner in order to God's 
drawing nigh to him, but as an effect' of God's power 
drawing the sinner unto himself. It is so, and note it 
down, and let it not be obliterated from your memory that 
God takes this work into his own hands. "I drew them with 
cords of a man, with bands of love. " It is only Avhile men 
are under the power of proud, carnal nature that they hold to 
a priority to God in the work of salvation. When they come 
under the power of regenerating grace, their language is, 
"Draw us, and we will run after thee." 

The same principle runs through all the promises ; to add 
another example, when Christ says, "Behold, I stand at the 
door, and knock : if any man hear my voice, and open the door, 
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." 
We are not to understand the requisites in the promise, as pre- 
requisities to be performed by the sinner in order to Christ's 
coming in to him, but as effects of Christ's pow r er opening the 
ears of the sinner to hear his voice, and the heart of the sinner 
that he may enter in to him ; and both these requisitions are 
mentioned as effects of Christ's power. The Spirit speaking in 
this connection says, "The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped :" 

and he has made mention of a woman "named Lydia 

whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things 
which were spoken of Paul. " 

"But the sinner is required to do these things himself." 

It is, doubtless, the sinner's duty to open his ears and heart to 
Christ : and he is addressed in this way to bring him to a sense 
of his duty, to convince him of his entire inability to perform 
the requisitions, and to lead him to depend on the power of the 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



11 



promiser for their accomplishment. And for the encourage- 
ment of the sinner he presents himself as one who is able to 
work in him all that he requires, saying to him, "Behold I 
stand, " as if he had said, ' 'You need not sink down under des- 
pondency at these requirements as I am entirely able to accom- 
plish them.'" This is a feature of the gospel entirely overlooked 
by you Arminians — a feature of the gospel, did I say ? I say 
now, more than a feature of the gospel, it is the very substance 
of the gospel ; for what is the gospel, but a provision for man's 
total inability to perform the requirements of the holy law? 
Prerequisitions and conditions are destructive of its very nature. 
It is on the offer of the gospel we must rest for salvation, not 
on previous qualifications. 

"You tell me that Christ is offered, freely, but does he not, 
in his word, offer himself to the thirsty, as he saith, 'Ho, every 
one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, ' and to the laboring 
and heavy laden, to the penitent and contrite? Now I feel 
that my heart is as hard as a stone, that I have not one qualifi- 
cation for coming to Christ." 

You do not need any. Where can holy thirstings or qualifi- 
cations of any kind come, before the soul is united to Christ? 
The thirst in the passage you have quoted is not to be under- 
stood of spiritual thirst, but of thirst for happiness from what- 
ever source. The expostulation which immediately follows 
would not be applicable to spiritual thirst : "Wherefore do ye 
spend your money for that which is not bread ? and your labor 
for that which satisfieth not? . . . eat ye that which is good, 
and let your soul delight itself in fatness." The reference 
evidently is to those who are seeking happiness from some 
other source than salvation, else why should it be said that 
they are spending their money for that which is not bread ? 
The sinner in coming to Christ does thirst after him, but this is 
the effect of the Holy Spirit's work within him, and not any 
thirsting for Christ previous to his coming to him. 

What qualifications had the jailer when he cried out, "What 



42 



THEIR UNCTION. 



must I do to be saved?" Paul did not tell him he must first 
reform his heart and life, and shed tears of penitence, though 
he was then in a very depraved condition, having but a little 
while before fastened Paul and Silas in the stocks, and newly 
attempted the crime of self murder ; but forthwith directed 
him to believe in Christ, and that in so doing he should be 
saved : and immediately he and all his house were baptized. 
What previous qualifications had the three thousand Jews, who 
were converted on the day of Pentecost, who had lately 
imbrued their hands in the most atrocious murder ever the sun 
beheld ? Christ commanded his servants to go out quickly into 
the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in to his feast the 
poor and the maimed, the halt and the blind ; yea, to go out into 
the highways, and compel them to come in ; for yet there was 
room — room in the heart of God — room in the blood of 
Christ — room in the promises of the covenant — room in the 
militant church below, and room in the triumphant church 
above. 

It is true none will apply for salvation until convinced of 
sin by the law, but the conviction of sin and misery is not the 
sinner's warrant to come to Christ : the free promise is his only 
warrant. The manslayer would not have fled to the city of 
refuge, unless conscious of guilt and danger; yet it was not 
consciousness of guilt and danger, but the city of 'refuge that 
afforded him protection. Unless the stung Israelite had been 
afraid of death by the bite of the fiery, flying serpent, r he would 
not have looked to the brazen serpent erected upon a pole ; yet the 
fear of death was not his safeguard, but the ordinance of God. 
Even our convictions of sin and misery do not save us ; but 
Christ who is lifted up on the cross and is freely offered in the 
gospel. Let us be done with these qualifications for coming to 
Christ. They destroy the peace of the poor sinner : for he 
thinks he must have such and such qualifications, before he 
dare intermeddle with the promise. He stands back and thinks 
he cannot believe, because he wants this and that and the other 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



43 



qualification. This legal dream hardens his heart against the 
gospel, and fosters his unbelief to the dishonor of God, and if 
mercy prevent not, to the ruin of his soul. 

There is one thing more which follows from the view I have 
given of effectual calling which presses upon me with such 
force that I cannot pass it over. I have spoken of the grace of 
God in effectual calling as being invincible, that is, that it is 
always resisted by the depravity of human nature, but cannot 
be overcome by it, and will ultimately prove victorious over it. 
This is the view that is commonly taken on this point. But 
from the nature of effectual calling I am led to believe that the 
Spirit of God therein is irresistible, that is, knows no resistance. 
For effectual calling being the quickening of a sinner from a 
state of spiritual death into a state of spiritual life, and there 
being " no medium between life and death," I cannot see any 
place for resistance. I have said that the motions of the Spirit 
in the external calling may be, and always are resisted by men. 
But when the Spirit operates internally by his almighty energy, 
converting dead hearts into living hearts, and hearts of stone 
into hearts of flesh, it does appear to me that the question, 
whether man can resist this calling, is, as Haldane says, 
"altogether nugatory ;" for it is as if it were inquired, if a 
man could resist his creation or a dead man his being brought 
to life. 

' 'Now you have talked long enough about your effectual call- 
ing, I am persuaded that, as distinguished from the general 
invitations of the gospel, it is a distinction without foundation 
in the word of God." 

I understand you to deny effectual calling. 

"You understand me correctly." 

What do you mean then by the grace of God in regenera- 
tion ? 

"I mean that in the great goodness of God, sinners are 
favored with certain outward privileges and dispensations, 
which in themselves have no natural efficiency to turn them 



44 



THEIR UNCTION. 



from sin to God, and that, therefore, they may resist the grace 
of God so that it will fail to have that effect upon their souls 
which it was intended to have. " 

Denying the total depravity of human nature as you do — 
"I do not deny the depravity of human nature — " 
You deny the total depravity of human nature, maintaining 
that man has power to comply with the invitations of the 
gospel, if he will, and that the power of God is exerted to effect 
this compliance ; your whole worship proceeds upon this prin- 
ciple ; your unwarrantable hymns of praise are framed on this 
principle ; the preaching of your ministers is on this principle. 
They bring Christ before the sinner entreating and expostulat- 
ing, anxious, willing, waiting to save him "just now," and yet 
he cannot do anything without the sinner wills. 

' 'You certainly believe that the sinner must come to Christ 
willingly." 

I certainly do ; but I believe just as certainly that Christ 
must make him willing. 

"I certainly maintain that there is a property of liberty 
inseparable from the will of man by which he hath a power to 
will or not to will. " 

Am I to understand you, as Owen saith. ' 'that our free wills 
have such an absolute and uncontrollable power in the territory 
of all human actions, that no influence of God's providence, no 
certainty of his decree, no unehangeableness of his purpose 
can sway them at all in their free determination, so as to cause 
them to resolve on any acts he intendeth to produce in us." 

"I maintain, with Arniinius, that 'all unregenerate men 
have, by virtue of their free wills, a power of resisting the Holy 
Spirit, of rejecting the offered grace of God, of contemning the 
counsel of God concerning themselves of refusing the gospel 
of his grace, of not opening the heart to him that knocketh. 1 " 

Indeed ! what an anomaly among the works of God is this 
free will, for what other tiling in the whole universe has God 
created beyond his own power to control \ " What a stout idol 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



45 



is this, " saith Owen, ' 'whom neither the Holy Spirit, the grace 
and counsel of God, the calling of the gospel, the knocking at 
the door of the heart can move, or at all in the least measure 
prevail against him ! Woe be unto us, then, if when God calls 
our free wills be not in good temper, and well disposed to 
hearken unto him ; for it seems there is no dealing with it by 
any other ways, however powerful. " 

"I maintain with Corvinus, 'For grant,' saith he, 'all the 
operations of grace which God can use in our conversion, yet 
conversion remaineth so in our own free power that we can be 
converted or not converted. ' " 

Your idol is not only stout but insolent, for, as Owen saith 
again, "It plainly challengeth the Lord to work his utmost, 
and tells him that after he hath so done, he will do as he please. 
His infallible prescience, his powerful predetermination, the 
moral efficacy of his gospel, the infusion of grace, the effectual 
operation of the Holy Spirit, all are nothing, not at all available 
in helping or furthering our independent wills in their proceed- 
ings." 

' 'I do not know on what other principle, than the one I have 
given, the language of our Savior to the children of Jerusalem 
can be interpreted, ' O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest 
the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often 
would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gath- 
ereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not !.' " 

Your difficulty here arises from not distinguishing between 
Christ's sovereign will of purpose, and his revealed will. It is 
evident that he is not here speaking of his will of purpose, for 
that can never be defeated. All those whom he would gather 
together in this sense shall be gathered together, for who hath 
resisted his will? The expression here, "How often would I 
have gathered thy children together," Avould be inapplicable 
to his will of purpose ; for that is not exercised by him at times, 
by intervals, but is one continuous will. Our Savior, then, 
must be understood here as speaking according to his revealed 



46 



THEIR UNCTION. 



will, which shows, not what he purposes to do, but what he 
wills men to do. This will he often presses upon men, as often 
as they hear his gospel preached ; and again and again he had 
called on the children of Jerusalem in the exercise of his minis- 
ter. This is evidently the sense in which he would have gath- 
ered them together that he might instruct them in the kno vvledge 
of himself as the Messiah. You will observe that Christ does 
not say that the children of Jerusalem were willing to be 
gathered together, he does not say, ' ' I would have gathered thy 
children together," and they would not, but "ye would not." 
The allusion evidently is to the opposition made to the ministry 
of Christ by the Jewish teachers and rulers. "The common 
people," it is said, "heard him gladly," and multitudes at 
different times were gathered together to hear him. There is 
no foundation, then, in this passage for your argument for the 
power of free will to resist the operations of the Spirit and grace 
of God, the allusion is only to the obstacles that were thrown 
in the way of attending on the external ministry of the word. 

''When our Savior says to sinners, 'Ye will not come unto 
me that ye might have life,' we are surely to understand him 
as meaning that they have the will to come, if they would 
exercise it." 

No, we are surely to understand him as meaning that they 
have not the will to come, or they would exercise it. If man 
was in the same situation he was before the fall, the general 
calling of the gospel would be sufficient : for God having 
endowed man originally with a disposition and power to obey 
him, a simple intimation of his will to him would have been 
all that was necessary to secure his compliance. But viewing 
this general calling in connection with man's fallen state, it is 
not sufficient unless accompanied with the internal operations of 
the Holy Spirit, illuminating the understanding and opening 
the heart to receive the calling. 

"Is it not folly then to call sinners when they are not able 
to comply with the call?" 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



47 



Was it folly for our Savior to call to the daughter of Jairus, 
" Damsel, I say unto thee, arise," or to the brother of Martha 
and Mary, ' ' Lazarus, come forth ? " And if the power of 
Christ had not accompanied his voice in these instances, would 
the individuals have awoke from the sleep of death? 

6 6 Surely, then, man is excusable for not complying with the 
call when he is not able to comply ? " 

Not at all excusable, for this inability is not the result of 
God's decree, but of the corruption of man's nature which 
leads him to resist the call of the gospel, which he would not 
do, if he were not a corrupt creature, and an enemy of God. 

Therefore, man making himself impotent, his impotency does 
not destroy his responsibility. 

' ' But why ask a man to perform a task, for which, according 
to your position, he is altogether inadequate ? " 

O yes, this is one of the pillars upon which you advocates 
of human sufficiency found your system. Such an argument 
with you is omnipotent to establish your persuasion, that man 
is not so utterly helpless, but what he has power enough to 
obey. But this argument is founded upon a very erroneous 
principle. It supposes that God never commands men to do 
anything beyond the compass of their power. Let us view the 
positions in which this would place us. If man's duty is not 
beyond his ability, where then is the depravity of his heart \ 
Where is the truth of the description, "Dead" His condition 
would be no worse than Adam's in Paradise or than the angels' 
before the throne. But if man is corrupt and still adequate to 
his duty, then dishonor must be reflected upon the perfection and 
government of God : for on this supposition, the law must have 
been curtailed and squared to meet our feebleness and corrup- 
tion. But if the law still retains its original strictness and per- 
fection, man's inability is plain. Now if the principle in ques- 
tion is true, we are not subjects of moral government ; and are 
released from all obligations to our Creator, and may act as we 
please, and yet hope for happiness. All means for salvation 



48 



THEIR UNCTION. 



must now be set aside ; yea, they must be viewed as pernicious, 
adding to our condemnation, for attempting to do spiritual 
things, before we know that we are gracious persons. Here 
are some difficulties rising up around this position, like impass- 
able mountains rearing their lofty summits to the skies. That 
our inability does not destroy God's right to command and our 
duty to obey is, we think, a perfectly intelligible and scriptural 
idea. It is not Paul, it is no minister, no man, no angel, but 
God who saith, ' ' Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the 
dead." 

a. Let us view our inability in reference to God's command. 
If God commands what by his power and grace he is able co 
perform, who dare reprove him for his conduct? Who can 
charge him foolishly for saying in the beginning, "Let there be 
light f" If our Savior call upon Lazarus to come forth from 
the dead, will we upbraid him for his conduct? In these cases 
the power issued with the command, to perform the thing com- 
manded. Instance again the case of the man whose hand was 
withered. Our Savior says unto him, "Stretch forth thine 
hand." This he was no more able to do by any power of his 
own, than Lazarus could come forth from the dead. He had 
fall faith, however, in the power of Christ, and without the least 
hesitation upon his mind, he assayed to obey the command, 
and in the act was endued with strength. Now God's command 
to us to do the duty which of ourselves we are not able to do 
is no more absurd and unjust than this command to the man 
with the withered hand. The same power that restored his 
hand whole as the other is necessary to quicken our dead souls. 
Now if God call upon us by the voice of his power to arise 
from our death in sin, dare A\ r e demand of him, Why say est 
thou, Arise f The very fact that he gives us power to perform 
the thing commanded shows the consistency of the command 
on his part. ' ' Wherefore he saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, 
and arise from the dead." 

b. Let us view the inability of the sinner in inference to his 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



49 



duty to obey God's commands. And it is a very strange and 
unscriptural thing to doubt for one moment whether it be not 
the duty of sinners to believe on the Son of God, as offered in 
the gospel, and repent of their sins. True, of ourselves, we 
have no power to do this. But how come we to labor under 
this disability \ Did not God originally endow us with power 
to obey him ? And must he denude himself of all his claims, 
because we have beggared ourselves by our folly? And let it 
be remembered, also, that we are not dead in sin in such a 
sense, as to have lost all our rational powers. If such were 
the case, we would be in the condition of beasts or inanimate 
dust ; and consequently could not continue to be responsible 
creatures, neither would we continue to be sinners. But as we 
still continue the exercise of our rational powers, we continue 
to be sinners, and consequently continue to be responsible 
beings. We could scarcely have thought it possible that the 
minds of men could be so perverted as to dispose them to 
affirm that the depths of iniquity must be a liberation from the 
charge of all crime. Has such a sentiment never been uttered ? 
Yes, there are many who regard their impotency in the light of 
a melancholy misfortune — as constituting them sufferers rather 
than malefactors, and that they are rather to be soothed than 
blamed. Is this language the utterance of sympathy over 
impotency, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from, the 
dead?" Is it not the utterance of the great lawgiver himself 
in the form of a command % He does not say, ' 4 Oh ! poor, dead 
sinner, that you could animate yourself and arise," but he 
saith, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead." 
Spiritual death then does not excuse unbelief and wickedness. 
If strong moral depravity rendered us guiltless, then the more 
depraved we become, the less guiltless we should be. If a man 
waste his substance, and become unable to pay his creditors, is 
his obligation to them in consequence thereof destroyed ? Who 
would blame a creditor for reminding his insolvent debtor of 
his obligations to him, even though he had no prospect of ever 



50 



THEIR UNCTION. 



recovering from him one mite ? Is a man to be excused because 
he has acquired such a habit of profanity, that he is incapable 
of obeying the command, "Thou shalt not take the name of 
the Lord thy God in vain, " or because he has acquired such a 
love for the intoxicating bowl, that he is incapable of regard- 
ing the injunction, "Look not thou upon the wine when it is 
red?" To use another illustration, if a man could acquire such 
a habit of murder, as to be incapable of obeying the command, 
"Thou shalt not kill," and his monstrous love of blood would 
lead him to imbrue his hands in the blood of every being 
that crossed his path : will any one tell me that such a man is 
innocent ? How long a time would be spent in lamenting the 
case of such a human fiend ? Would not the doom of death be 
soon sealed upon him amidst the loud execrations of outraged 
humanity ? And shall it be said that the eternal and righteous 
lawgiver must abdicate his throne upon a plea which a human 
tribunal would scout as insane ? 

And let it be considered that there is such a fitness in the 
means of God's appointment, as to leave sinners inexcusable in 
rejecting the evidences, calls, and invitations of the gospel. 
Though faith and repentance are the gifts of God, they come 
to us in the use of means. The gospel itself, its promises, calls, 
and counsels are the very methods whereby God breaks down 
the fearful barrier of corruption and graciously calls sinners 
unto himself, and causes new life and light to enter into their 
souls. These means are in the reach of every sinner who hears 
the gospel, they are coupled with the freest invitations of grace, 
and every sinner has the privilege of being graciously reconciled 
to God, by looking to and believing on him, through the use of 
the means. The command, "Arise from the dead," may seem 
at first sight to be useless ; but it is one of God's means, and 
beautifully adapted to make sinners conscious of their helpless- 
ness. It often occurs that persons recovering from sickness 
murmur against their physician for keeping them so long to the 
couch. They think they are able to be up and about a little, 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



51 



and nothing but the permission of their physician to try their 
strength will convince them how completely it has been pros- 
trated. Sinners, dead as they are, do not think they are so 
utterly helpless as God represents them to be. They acknow- 
ledge that they are weak, but not so utterly weak, but what 
they are able to be up and about in the way of exercise. This 
command like the permission given to the sick man by his 
physician to try the measure of his bodily powers, brings him 
to the test of experience. "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou 
that sleepest and arise from the "dead." Here is an opportunity 
given to the sinner to awake, nay, an obligation laid upon him 
to do so. But does he awake % No, but the experience teaches 
him what he but dimly surmised before, that it is utterly beyond 
his power ; and he acknowledges that his thoughts would never 
have been directed towards his helplessness, and that he would 
never have known how completely his senses were locked up in 
spiritual death. 

' 'Well then, beyond doubt, your doctrine destroys the freedom 
of the will." 

What is the freedom of the will ? 

"It is a liberty of will to do good or evil at pleasure." 

How can that definition apply to a creature totally corrupt ? 
Such a creature, in following out its corrupt inclinations, acts 
freely ; but surely no violence is done to its will, because it can- 
not do good, for it has no inclination to do good : and I would 
define liberty of will to be a liberty in the creature to follow its 
own inclinations. 

' 'Yes, but you have said that man, being unable to comply 
with the invitations of the gospel, is forced into a compliance 
with them by an act of divine power. " 

I said no such a thing. I said that God by his power changed 
the will, and brought it into a cheerful compliance with the call 
of the gospel. Surely no coercion is implied here. The grace 
of God irresistibly subdues the hostility of the sinner, and leads 
him captive under the banner of love. This position is surely 



52 



THEIR UNCTION. 



in harmony with the beautiful language of the Holy Spirit, 
' ' Thy people shall be willing in the clay of thy power. " Here 
is a people who are ' 'willingness, " as it is in the original, the noun 
for the adjective, and this willingness is the result of divine 
power. I assert my position then, that man being dead in sin, 
an act of omnipotence is required to make him spiritually alive, 
and that that act being put forth must prove effectual, as 
omnipotent power cannot be resisted. 

4. The Source of the Touch discloses the Sovereignty of 
the Touch. 

Sovereignty is that perfection of the divine character by 
which he does all things after the counsel of his own will. This 
is consonant with his own description by the psalmist, ' ' Our 
God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. " 
Why did God touch the hearts of this band of the men of Israel, 
and leave all the hearts of the remaining men of Israel untouched ? 
The only correct answer to this question is, because it was his 
own good pleasure to do so. There are several characteristics 
of this Touch included in its Sovereignty which I wish to notice 
with particularity. 

a. The Sovereignty of the Touch embraces within it the 
Distinguishableness of the Touch. It is characteristic of divine 
sovereignty to make a distinction among men, conferring favors 
on some, which are not promiscuously bestowed upon all. Let 
it be particularly noticed that none of the men of Israel acted 
except the "band of men whose hearts God had touched." 
This band of men acted because God had touched their hearts. 
Why did not the remaining men of Israel act in the same man- 
ner? This question is not answered, when it is replied, they 
did not act because they would not act. True, they would not 
act, but why would they not act \ The only correct answer 
is, because their hearts were not touched. 

This trait in the purpose of God is exemplified in the national 
election of Israel. In separating this people to be a peculiar 
people unto himself, he conferred an important favor which was 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



53 



denied to the other nations of the earth. c 4 You only have I 
known of all the families of the earth." This can only mean 
that he had favored them above all the families of the earth. 
What this favor was, is plainly declared, when ic is said, "He 
showed his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments 
unto Israel, he hath not dealt so with any nation. " As the 
national election of Israel distinguished that people from all the 
nations of the earth : so after the same maimer, the purpose of 
God according to election makes an important distinction among 
men. It appoints some men to eternal glory, and provides all 
the means necessary to prepare them for the enjoyment of 
glory ; and passes by others who shall not see life, but abide 
under the wrath of God. 

The fixed meaning of the phrases, "the elect," and "the 
chosen to salvation," employed to designate the children of 
God, do evidently show that they are a people distinguished 
from others. The choice of some evidently carries in it the 
refusal of others ; and the taking of all precludes the choice of 
any. The terms evidently point out, that God in his purpose 
of grace appoints certain individuals to salvation — that they 
shall obtain salvation, and none else. It has been said that they 
denote an election of nations to the means of grace ; but they 
are evidently a specification of those who shall enjoy salvation. 
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be 
conformed to the image of his Son. . . . Moreover whom he 
did predestinate, them he also called : and whom he called, 
them he also justified : and whom he justified, them he also 
glorified." This passage has with much beauty been styled, 
"the golcen chain of man's salvation," because it inseparably 
connects all the blessings of salvation together ; so that the 
person who becomes actually interested in one of them, is inter- 
ested in all of them. It might be thought that one link in the 
chain was missing, as there is no specific mention made of sanc- 
tification. But this is couched in the phrase, "Did predesti- 
nate to be conformed to the image of his Son : " so that we 



54 



THEIR UNCTION. 



have all the links of the chain complete. The word " fore- 
know" here does not mean God's prescience, by which he knows 
all things before they come to pass : for in this sense he fore- 
knows all men : and if this was the sense here, then all men 
would be predestinated to be conformed to the image of the 
Son. Then the word "foreknow 11 here signifies God's choice 
of persons. This sense is confirmed by what our Lord says 
will be his profession in the day of judgment to those hypo- 
crites who will lay claim to his favor, "I never knew you," 
which cannot be understood of his omniscience ; and can only 
mean that he never chose them. The word, " predestinate, " 
signifies to appoint beforehand to some particular end, and 
means the destination of the persons foreknown or chosen to 
the blessings for which they are designed. The passage evi- 
dently designates a class of persons whom God foreknew, 
whom, in consequence of this foreknowledge, he calls, and dis- 
criminates in the distributions of his grace, as he had antece- 
dently discriminated them in his purpose. Obviously then the 
passage does not discriminate communities as such, where the 
gospel has found its way, as it cannot be affirmed of them in 
truth that they are all saved : they must therefore designate a 
specific class of persons whose names are in a particular manner 
known unto God ; and who shall be saved to the exclusion of 
all others. Clearly the apostle makes a distinction between a 
national and personal election among the Israelities, as it is 
written, ' ' Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for ; 
but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." 
It is plain to the most simple inspection that the remnant 
according to "the election of grace" in this passage refers to 
individuals in the Jewish church. Then while the nation of 
Israel as such was separated from other nations, and elected to 
the enjoyment of the means of grace, there was in that nation 
"a remnant according to the election of grace." Of these the 
apostle affirms, "God hath not cast away his people whom he 
foreknew." While the mass of the nation were rejected for 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



55 



their unbelief, yet this elect remnant was saved according to 
God's eternal foreknowledge ; and then he adds, ' ' Even so then 
at this present time also, there is a remnant according to the 
election of grace." 

The truth of our proposition may be demonstrated from the 
nature of Chrisfs death. He effected the redemption of his 
people, clothed with the character and executing the office of a 
surety. "By so much," says Paul, " was Jesus made a surety 
of a better testament." He thus characterizes him, that from 
the nature of suretyship among men, he might, under that 
name, give a correct representation of the nature of his work. 
He means that he is surety for us to God, as a surety acts for 
a debtor to a creditor. The nature of his work, then, involves 
in it the determination of the persons concerned in it. He 
could not as a surety undertake to lay down his life to satisfy 
the requirements of justice for persons unknown. He who in 
a legal way becomes liable for others in matters of debt or 
offence is always supposed to have some knowledge of the per- 
sons for whom he becomes liable, so as to discriminate them 
from all others who may be in similar circumstances. Now as 
the surety and the debtor are one and the same person in law, 
and one and the same legal party, there is one and the same 
acceptance on the part of the creditor ; so that if he accept the 
surety as having given satisfaction by the payment of the debt, 
he cannot but legally accept the creditor. Therefore, if Christ 
died as a surety for many who shall never be released, but 
eternally prosecuted for their debt to law and justice, then it is 
not his suretyship, but something else that infallibly secures 
the acquittance of any. 

Our argument will be strengthened by the consideration of 
that of which the apostle affirms Christ to be a surety — U A 
better testament," he says. The word, "testament," is com- 
monly rendered "covenant;" and the apostle means the cove- 
nant of grace, as distinguished from the covenant of works. In 
another place he styles the blood of Christ, ' ' The blood of the 



56 



THEIR UNCTION. 



everlasting covenant." He thus styles it, because by the blood 
of Christ the covenant of grace was ratified. Then the blood 
and the covenant, aside from each other, have neither of them 
either meaning or efficiency. If the covenant does not con- 
tain within it all that the blood purchased, then it is no cove- 
nant — the blood does not ratify it; and if the blood did not 
purchase all that is contained in the covenant, it is no atone- 
ment. They are an entity, or they are null. 

The main difference between the covenant of works and the 
covenant of grace is, in the covenant of works God required 
of man the fulfilment of the prescribed condition, in the cove- 
nant of grace he promised himself to effect it in all those who 
were included in the covenant. As he saith, ' k For this is the 
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those 
days, saith the Lord ; I will put my laws into their mind, and 
write them in their hearts : and I will be to them a God, and 
they shall be to me a people." This effect of the covenant 
does not extend beyond the compass of the covenant. Does 
this effect take place in all men ? 

' ' No, " says the Arminian, ' ' because all men do not perform 
the condition." 

What condition ? 

"Why, the condition of faith and repentance. " 

But are not faith and repentance included in the divine 
penmanship on the heart ; and so do they not belong to the 
promises of the cov enant ? 

"No," says the Arminian, "faith and repentance is of our- 
selves. " 

Then the covenant of grace is conditional. If so, wherein is 
its superiority to the covenant of works ? The weakness of 
the covenant of works was, that man having broken the cove- 
nant was unable to fulfil its condition. Is he any more able to 
fulfil the condition of the covenant of grace? Could he not 
with as much facility fulfil the whole law by his own strength, 
as repent and believe the promises of the gospel \ What a 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



57 



mock would the covenant of grace be if it communicated no 
grace ? If it is a covenant of grace, then its effects will be 
wrought in all who are included in it : and these only were 
intended in its benefits. 

Again, the death of Christ is presented to us under the sim- 
ilitude of & pecuniary transaction. Christ is a redeemer, and 
his blood is a redemption price. 4 ' Ye were not redeemed with 
corruptible things, as silver and gold .... but with the 
precious blood of Christ. " The allusion is to the kinsman 
redeemer among the Jews. When one through poverty mort- 
gaged his inheritance, it was the business of his nearest kin to 
buy it back. This was typical of Christ assuming our nature 
and becoming our kinsman. His blood was a price — not sil- 
ver or gold, but a currency under the divine government, as 
silver or gold are under human governments — a full and suffi- 
cient price that puts every one of his impoverished kinsmen in 
full and final possession of their state. Again, under the same 
allusion, we are told, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse 
of the law, being made a curse for us." He suffered the 
penalty, and definitely for us — his sufferings were on legal 
principles — were the curse of the law — were an actual, an effec- 
tual, a complete redemption, and hence placed in its blessed 
results beyond the reach of every contingency. 

Again, Christ is evidently set forth as acting in the room of 
a particular number. Those for whom he died are called the 
church. ' ' Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for 
it." But the term church is never put for the whole of the 
human race. His design in giving himself for the church was 
that "he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of 
water by the word ; that he might present it to himself a glori- 
ous church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. " 
His intention in dying, therefore, must have been limited to 
those who were to be saved by him. This interpretation is 
strengthened by the similitude in which the apostle holds 
/ orth the love of Christ to the church : it is the love of a 



58 



THEIR UNCTION. 



husband for a wife. "Husbands, love your wives, even as 
Christ also loved the ehurch, and gave himself for it." Surely, 
this is decisive. The love of a husband for a wife is such as 
he has for no other. So must the love of Christ be for his 
church. And as was his love, so must be the purpose of his 
death. 

Again, Christ's people are styled his sheep. "I lay down 
my life for the sheep,'' — he means in a peculiar sense, as he 
died for no other. The reference is to those who were Christ's 
sheep according to the purpose of the Father, and not other- 
wise ; as his people in their natural state are not sheep in truth, 
but like all others, of their father the devil. And this view is 
strengthened by what Christ says in another place, "Other 
sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must 
bring." Besides the little flock he had gathered, which was 
chiefly found within the fold of the Jewish economy, he had 
other sheep to be collected, especially from among the Gentiles 
who were not yet of the fold, and could only be called his 
sheep as they were his by the donation of the Father. Paul 
corroborates this sense by a beautiful view which he gives of 
the identity of Christ's people with Christ himself, in all that 
he did. "Crucified with him," he says, "and died with him:" 
and then again he says, "They were buried with him, risen 
with him," he says again, "And sitting with him in heavenly 
places." Now surely, this makes definiteness an essential 
element in the idea of redemption. How can we believe the 
atonement to be indefinite while we read that all Christ's people 
were associated with himself — were in the cradle with him, 
and on the cross with him — in the grave with him, and with 
him on the morning of the resurrection — with him in his 
ascension, and with him on the throne of his glory ? Again 
the people for whom Christ acted were given of the Father. 
This is our Savior's own statement, kk All that the father giveth 
me shall come to me." The plain meaning is, that some of 
the human race were given to Christ as his charge, to be 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



59 



redeemed by him ; that all these will be effectually called, and 
willingly come to him. But the Arminian labors to destroy 
this sense, by turning the Savior's language hind end foremost. 
All that come to Christ, say they, are given to him. But this 
is not what the Savior says. 4 'All that the Father giveth me 
shall come to me," he says. The Arminian places the coming 
first ; but the Savior places the giving first. What is the 
difference? According to the Savior's statement, a sinner com- 
ing to him is a consequence of his being first given to him. 
According to the Arminian statement, the giving of the sinner 
to Christ, is a consequence of his first coming to Christ. 

Once more, those who become believers in Christ, were chosen 
in him be/ore the foimdation of the world. "Blessed be the God 
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with 
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ : according 
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, 
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love : 
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesas 
Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made 
us accepted in the beloved." The apostle could not restrain 
himself from a most rapturous outburst of thanksgiving to 
God for the spiritual blessings, in respect to heavenly things, he 
had so abundantly bestowed upon him and the Ephesian Chris- 
tians. These blessings were the result of God's eternal choice 
of them in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world, 
not because they would be more holy than others of their 
fallen race, but that they might be holy. According to the 
Arminian interpretation, Paul is here speaking of a national 
election. He is speaking, say they, to the Gentiles to show 
them God's purpose from the beginning to call them to the 
same privileges with the Jews. But unhappily for this inter- 
pretation Paul makes no mention of J ews or Gentiles. Observe, 
that the apostle uses the pronoun "us." Who? Us Gentiles? 
Was Paul a Gentile ? Us J ews ? Were the Ephesian Jews ? 



60 



THEIR UNCTION. 



And look what he says the persons addressed were elected 
unto — unto holiness and love, ' ' That we should be holy and 
without blame before him in love. " Is not holiness strictly 
personal 1 is not love also \ What then can an election to 
holiness and love mean, hut a personal election ? Observe 
again, that this election is an election " unto the adoption of 
children. " It is only as individuals that believers are adopted 
as the children of God, and therefore the election "unto the 
adoption of children 1 ' must be a personal election. The whole 
passage, indeed the whole epistle, every word of it, is 
addressed to believers as such. 

But again, the connection between the death of Christ and the 
release of his people is manifest from the terms by which his death 
is expressed : ' 'By whom we have now received the atonement, " 
says Paul. The word "atonement" properly signifies recon- 
ciliation. So we render it in other places, as the "ministry 
of reconciliation," the "word of reconciliation." The gospel is 
so denominated because it holds forth the death of Christ to 
sinners who are yet in rebellion. The death of Christ and the 
atonement of Christ are distinguishable as cause and effect, but 
not separable. Christ's death is called "atonement" because it 
produces atonement; as we call fire "heat" because it produces 
heat. According to this representation the death of Christ 
could not with propriety be called an ' 'atonement" — a recon- 
ciliation to those who are never reconciled by its influence : even 
as fire could not be called "warmth" to those who are not 
warmed by it. 

And let it be observed that this reconciliation flows entirely 
from the atonement of Christ, and not on any conditions per- 
formed by the sinner. For it was when Christ made the atone- 
ment that the reconciliation was effected, and not when we 
believed on him. Therefore, God would be unjust in condemning 
the sinner for whom Christ made the atonement — unjust, not 
to the sinner, but to Christ who atoned for his sins. This 
reconciliation to God, though ensured to our surety at and by 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



61 



his death, is not applied to us until by faith we apprehend to 
ourselves the great transaction which secured it. In the same 
way he is said to have "washed us in his blood. 11 He insured 
by his death, and applies it in due time. "For if when we were 
enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, 
much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." 
To make the matter clear we must consider whether this recon- 
ciliation is entirely on the part of the sinner, and not a reconcilia- 
tion of God to the sinner. God was reconciled in the atonement 
of Christ, the design of which was not to subdue the sinner's 
enmity to God, but to appease God's justice, that he might be 
just, and yet the jnstifier of him that believe th. The reconcilia- 
tion of the sinner to God is effected, not by the atonement, but 
by the operation of the Holy Spirit consequent on the atone- 
ment. The sinner in the day of his regeneration laying hold on 
the Lord Jesus Christ finds God a reconciled God in him. 
Hence Christ, in giving himself a ransom to law and justice, is 
said to have "obtained eternal redemption for us :" justice there- 
fore must require that all for whom he died be put in possession 
of that eternal redemption. 

Again, the express design of Chrisfs death confines it to a 
particular number. We have before brought into view the truth 
that everything that comes to pass is the result of God's eternal 
purpose. If, therefore, it can be shown that the design of God 
in giving his Son to die, was to save from dying those for whom 
he died, it will evidently follow that he never died for those 
who will not ultimately be saved from dying. "For God so 
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who- 
soever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting 
life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the 
world ; but that the world through him might be saved. " 

' 'Now, " says the Arminian, ' 'you have ensnared yourself at 
last." 

I do not see the snare. 

"Do you not see that word, world?" 



62 



THEIR UNCTION. 



Yes, but I see nothing in it to entangle my argument. 

' 4 I will overturn your whole system with that one word. " 

Oh ! you think the word, world, always means every person 
in the world. Listen to a part of Christ's intercessory prayer : 
4 'I pray not for the world. " Did Christ never pray for one indi- 
vidual in the world ? This is refuted by the next clause : ' 'But 
for those whom thou hast fid veil me out of the world. " The 
word, world, here then, can only mean that part of the world 
who were not given to Christ by the Father. Again, we are 
told that all the world wandered after the Beast. Does this 
mean every individual in the world? Do you acknowledge 
yourself to be a follower of the Beast ? Then every person in 
the world does not wander after the Beast ; and therefore the 
word, world, does not mean everybody in the world. In the 
same way we limit the meaning of the word, world, in the pas- 
sage under consideration. All the world are not saved from 
perishing ; and therefore the word, world, does not mean every- 
body in the world, 

"No, they are not all saved, because they will not all repent 
and believe." 

But did not Christ make atonement for impenitence and 
unbelief, as well as for all other sins? Does not the atone- 
ment give origin to faith and repentance? or is it faith and 
repentance that give efficacy to the atonement ? Ah ! yes, 
that is your scheme. It makes faith and repentance the meri- 
torious cause of salvation. You always manage to bring 
yourself out best. 

' ' Love being that natural affection in God for all sinners in 
the world, that induced him to give his only begotten Son to 
die for them, that every one of them who believeth in him, 
< should not perish, ' should not come into eternal perdition, but 
' have everlasting life, ' be brought to eternal glory ; I cannot 
see how it can be restricted to a particular number. " 

If love in God were a natural affection for sinners, then it 
would have to be acknowledged that it could not be restricted, 



THE SEAT OF THE UNCTION. 



63 



out must necessarily flow out towards all. But if this were 
the case, the object of his love would not receive its accomplish- 
ment : for according to your own acknowledgement, it is only 
those who believe that will be saved : it would follow, too, that 
his love would be as great for those who are lost, as those who 
are saved ; for being natural, it must be equal in its operations. 
The marring of blessedness, too, must follow the non-fulfilment 
of natural affection : and this can never be said with regard to 
the ever blessed God. I deny that love is a natural affection 
in God. The good flowing from God to creatures does not 
spring from any natural propensity in God to do them good. 
The Scriptures nowhere ascribe to God a natural propensity to 
good. We could as properly ascribe bodily parts to God, as 
eyes, ears, arms, and feet, as ascribe natural affections to him, 
as love, joy, sorrow, and delight. The love of God here, then, 
does not signify a natural propensity in God to good, as that 
cannot be signified which does not belong to him. 

"What then does the love of God signify ?" 

It signifies an act of his will whereby he did, in such a free 
and transcendent manner, will the salvation of a company of 
lost creatures in the world, that he gave his only begotten Son — 

"Now stop, I have you fenced in." 

I do not see your fence. 

' ' You believe that every one of those whose salvation God 
willed shall certainly be saved?" 
I certainly do. 
"This text says not?" 
It says no such a thing, 

"Do you not see that distributive word whosoever 7 " 
Is that your fence ? 

4 'Yes, and you will find it a strong fence. Let us see now 
how your exposition of the passage will run. Love is an act 
of the divine will, whereby he did, in such a free and transcen- 
dent manner, will the salvation of a company of lost sinners in 
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever 



64: 



THEIR UNCTION. 



of them would believe, should not perish, but have 'everlasting 
life. Now does not this evidently imply that some of the persons 
chosen to salvation might not believe, and consequently come 
short of salvation ?" 

If the word whosoever was distributive of the objects chosen 
to salvation, it would. 

' 'It is certainly distributive. " 

No. It is declarative of the design of God in giving his Son, 
' 'that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have 
everlasting life," that is, that all believers might be saved. 
The word believeth is a declaration of the way in which God will 
communicate to the objects of his choice the fruits of it. "That 
whosoever believeth," which is the only way in which he will 
communicate to any the life that is in his Son. Faith being a 
fruit of God's eternal choice of his people to salvation, it is only 
believers who are the objects of it, as it is written in the Acts of 
the Apostles, "And as many as were ordained to eternal life 
believed." 

' 'I cannot see why the word, 'world, ' should be employed to 
signify a particular number." 

Bear in mind that our Lord was now conversing with a Jewish 
Rabbi, and forms his discourse in such a manner as to refute the 
common notion of the J ews that the Gentiles would be excluded 
from all participation in the blessings of the Messiah. The 
Apostle John expresses himself in the same manner, and clearly 
with the same design. "He is the propitiation for our sins : 
and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. " 
He here contrasts the atonement of Christ which is free to all 
nations, with the Levitical atonement which was confined to 
to one people. 

Let me give you a few more examples where the word, ' 'world, " 
must be limited to a particular number. Christ says to the 
church of Philadelphia, ' 'Because thou hast kept the word of 
my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, 
which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell 



THE SOURCE OF THE TOUCH. 



65 



upon the earth. " He refers to a remarkable season of trial, 
that was to come for a short season upon all the churches, to 
prove the reality and strength of their faith and love. But 
every one was not to be exposed to this trial, for he promises 
to shelter the faithful — the Philadelphians from the fury of 
the storm. The apostle, to establish the Colossians in the faith 
of the gospel, gives thanks for the effects of the gospel upon 
them. He tells /them that it was the origin of their faith and 
love. He reminds them that the first they had ever heard of the 
hope that was laid up for them in heaven — of the everlasting 
happiness of heaven, was k * in the word of the truth of the 
gospel. " This gospel according to the commission given to the 
apostles, was no more to be restrained to a particular nation ; 
but was to be preached throughout the world. In the course 
of its travels, it had come to the Colossians : i i Which is come 
unto you, as it is in all the world ; and bringeth forth fruit, as 
it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the 
grace of God in truth. " It is only believers throughout the 
world that is here meant, as the gospel only bringeth forth fruit 
in those who receive it by faith. 

Paul, to testify his affection for the saints at Rome, to stim- 
ulate them to steadfastness in the faith, and to show them that 
all they had must be referred to the grace of God, gave thanks 
for their faith and its happy effects on their conduct. ' ' First, 
I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your 
faith is spoken of throughout the whole world." God ought 
to be thanked for all his mercies common and special, and more 
especially for special mercies. Among special mercies he 
should be thanked, first of all for the gift of faith ; because 
faith is the distinguishing mark of the Christian, and on this 
Paul grounds his thanksgiving for the Christians at Rome. 
Pome being the capital of the empire, everything that trans- 
pired there was circulated throughout the whole civilized world. 
Although Paul Avas personally a stranger to the believers at 
Rome, yet, wherever he went he heard their faith spoken of — 



5 



66 



THEIR UNCTION. 



proclaimed — applauded. This could only be by all true 
believers ; for unbelievers, who hated Christians and their faith, 
could give no approving testimony concerning it. In the same 
synecdochical manner the evangelist Luke uses the word, 
"world," when he says, "There went out a decree from Cesar 
Augustus, that all the world should be taxed." No commen- 
tary is necessary to show that the word, "world", here signifies 
the Roman Empire, and no one will contend that it contained 
within it every person in the world. 

It may be observed that there are expressions equivalent to 
the expression, "the whole world" and as comprehensive of 
particulars, which can only mean believers of all sorts through- 
out the world. For example : ' ' AH the ends of the earth have 
seen the salvation of our God. " This does not mean every 
individual in the world, but only believers in the several parts 
of the world, where the gospel has been or will be sent ; for 
believers only have eyes to see the nature, w T ant, and worth of 
God's salvation. 

Again, ' ' All the ends of the world shall remember and turn 
unto the Lord : and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship 
before thee. " This must be understood of some of all nations, 
kindreds, and tongues, whom Christ has redeemed by his blood, 
and calls by his grace ; for none else can remember and turn 
unto the Lord, and become active in his service. 

The Lord speaking by the prophet Joel says, ' ' And it shall 
come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all 
flesh." According to the apostle Peter this prophecy began to 
have its fulfilment on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit 
was poured out upon the apostles, and very soon had a further 
accomplishment in the Gentile world. The phrase, c • all flesh, " 
then, is not to be understood of men individually, but of men 
of all sorts, Jews and Gentiles, men of all nations. If, then, 
the expressions, ' ' all flesh, " ' ' all nations, " " all fcin dreds, " 
' ' all ends of the earth, " are as extensive in their "signification, 
as the expression, ' ' the whole world, " and they are but liveries 



THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE TOUCH. 



67 



of believers, why not the expression, "the whole world" also? 

I may observe that the word, ' 'world", is sometimes used to 
signify the wicked part of the world. In the Kevelation, we 
have an account of a long sharp conflict, which took place 
between Michael and his angels, and the dragon and his angels. 
The result of the battle was, "The great dragon was cast out, 
that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the 
whole world." But every individual in the world cannot be 
meant, for immediately we hear a triumphant shout in heaven 
for the victory obtained by Michael and his angels over the 
devil and his angels. This shout could only come from true 
believers in the church. 

• Again, the apostle John says, "We know that we are of 
God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. " This can only 
mean that part of the world who are not born of God, sinners 
of all sorts who are still in subjection to the devil, the prince 
of this world. That this is the meaning is evident, because 
the phrase, "the whole world," in the last clause of the verse is 
opposed to them who in the first* clause say, ' ' We hiow that we 
are of God " 

If we bring the candle of faith's analogy to those passages 
which assign to the atonement of Christ a universal reference 
in some sense ; we will clearly see that it is not in the sense of 
every individual of the human race. For first, we must limit 
our interpretation of these passages by another class of pas- 
sages which affirm that Christ died for a special and definite 
number — for "many"— for "his sheep" — for " the church" — 
for "the elect" — for "the children of God scattered abroad." 

Again, it must be observed that the same character and effect 
is assigned to the death of Christ, in the universal reference, 
as in the special reference. In the universal reference, we are 
told that Christ "gave himself a ransom for all." In the spe- 
cial reference, we are told that he came "to give his life a 
ransom for many. " In both references, in the term, 4 4 ransom, " 
the efficacy of a propitiatory sacrifice is ascribed to the death of 



68 



THEIR UNCTION. 



Christ. And hear again the language of the apostle John, 
"He is the propitiation for our sins." This is the special 
reference : he means himself and the believing Jews to whom 
he was writing: "And not for ours only," he adds, "but also 
for the sins of the whole world." This is the universal refer- 
ence, and with the same term, "propitiation" applied to it. 

Hear our Lord affirming the design of his mission. "That 
the world through him might be saved. " What, every individ- 
ual in the world? But what more is affirmed when it is said, 
"He shall save his people from their sins?" 

There is yet another point to be considered, that if the mere 
universal terms in connection with Christ's death are sufficient 
to prove universal atonement, such passages as the following 
must be held to prove universal salvation. 4 ' And I, if I be 
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." "As in 
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." "As 
by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condem- 
nation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came 
upon all men unto justification of life." In a word, if we 
were to go through a detailed examination of those passages in 
which such universal terms occur, we would find that the refer- 
ence in them is not to all men without exception, but to all men 
without distinction, Gentiles and Jews alike. The Arminian 
jumps upon these general phrases with a shout of triumph, 
whereas if he would look either backwards or forwards, one side 
or the other, he would see a finger pointing, not to all men in 
the world individually, but to men of all nations — of all char- 
acters — all stations — all generations, a very great multitude. 
And this is particularly the case, when the atonement of Christ, 
which extends to some of all nations, is contrasted with the 
Levitical atonement which was restricted to one people. 

There was a particular reason for using these universal phrases 
at the introduction of the new administration. It was a diffi- 
cult thing to bring the Jewish church to believe that the grace 
of God under the New Testament was to be extended to the 



THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE TOUCH. 



69 



Gentiles. In other passages where the terms are used, the 
reference is not to the intention of Christ's death, nor its ulti- 
mate effects with regard to individuals, but to the general rela- 
tion in which he stands to mankind sinners, in distinction from 
fallen angels as a kinsman redeemer — to the intrinsic value of 
his atonement, and the suitableness of his offices for the redemp- 
tion of all who come to God by him. 

We must not leave this point without adverting to the inter- 
cession of Christ. His intercession is the continuance of his 
oblation. He was "the Lamb, slain from the foundation of 
the world. " He was typically slain under the old administra- 
tion in the death of every slaughtered victim, and faith looked 
through the visible symbol to the thing signified. Before he 
put on the visible attire of flesh and blood, he made interces- 
sion for the elect, on the ground of his eternal engagement with 
the Father to shed his blood as a sacrifice for their sins, in due 
time. Now that he has fulfilled his engagement in the actual 
offering of his oblation, his intercession consists in the continu- 
ance of his oblation. It was a special part of the solemn ser- 
vice of the High Priest on the day of expiation, that when he 
had offered his sin offering he should carry the blood within the 
vail, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord and offer up 
solemn prayers and intercessions for all the people. In these 
public ministerial services these ministers of God on earth acted 
as eminent types of our great High Priest in heaven, who is 
our Advocate with the Father, and ever lives to make inter- 
cession for us, "For Christ has not entered into the holy 
places made with hands, .... but into heaven itself, now to 
appear in the presence of God for us. " This intercession does 
not consist in the humble dejection of himself with tears and 
supplications, or in contesting points in the court of heaven ; 
but in the appearance of his person, in the presentation of his 
sacrifice, in offering up the prayers and praises of his people, 
in declaring it as his will that the benefits of his death be 
applied to those for whom they were designed. Hence, listen 



70 



THEIR UXCTIOX. 



to the apostle's challenge. "Who shall lay anything to the 
charge of God's elect ? .... It is Christ that died, yea rather, 
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who 
also niaketh intercession for us." Here evidently the inter- 
cession of Christ is exhibited as proceeding on the ground of 
his sacrifice for sin. His sacrifice and intercession, therefore, 
must he of the same extent with regard to their object. This 
our Lord clearly intimates in his intercessory prayer. ♦ • I pray 
not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me." 
His prayer is an intimation of the way in which he died, and 
as it is confined to those who were given him out of the world; 
hi> sacrifice, therefore, must be restricted to that definite 
number. 

From these considerations it appears that the Mediator's 
righteousness was finished in the room, and for the sake of the 
elect. Election, redemption, and the application of redemp- 
tion are co-extensive. This is the Scripture plan, its consis- 
tency evinces its divinity. It exhibits the persons of the adora- 
ble Trinity operating in harmony. The electing love of the 
Father, the redeeming blood of the Son. and the regenerating 
power of the Holy Spirit meet in one and the same object. 
The universal scheme of redemption destroys this harmony ; 
for according to it, Christ died for men whom the Father never 
elected to eternal life, whom the Spirit will never sanctify. 
The apostle's interrogation, ''Is Christ divided?" implies, 
according to this scheme, no impossibility : for it severs the 
connection between the priestly, the prophetical, and the 
kingly offices of Christ, for as a priest he must have died for 
men whom he will never teach as a prophet, never sanctify and 
rule as a king. Indeed, the doctrine of universal redemption 
dishonors all the divine perfections. It vails the foreknowl- 
edge of God. making him entirely uncertain who shall be 
saved, yea, whether any shall be saved, until the event brings 
it to light. It tarnishes the infinite wisdom of God. by frus- 
trating, either in whole or in part, the gracious design of the 



THE GRACTOTJSNESS OF THE TOUCH. 71 

death of Christ. It overturns the faithfulness of God by 
making it certain that Christ will never see, at least in part, 
the travail of his soul. 

Universal atonement is in antagony also with salvation by 
grace. According to it the electing love of the Father, the 
redeeming grace of the Son, and the regenerating power of the 
Holy Spirit must be conditional. And the condition of all 
these must rest entirely with the creature, whether he perform 
them or not. Hence, if this universal scheme is true, and any 
saved by it, they must be indebted to their own exertions for 
salvation. So then the doctrine of salvation by grace is 
entirely subverted and salvation by works restored. 

b. The Sovereignty of the Touch includes in it the Gra- 
ciousness of the Touch. Why did God touch the hearts of this 
band of the men of Israel, and leave the hearts of all the other 
men of Israel untouched? Some merit-monger will raise up 
his head and confidently say, ' 'Because they were better men. " 
When touched, indeed, they were better men : bat they were 
not touched, because they were better men. They were not 
better men and, therefore, touched, but touched and, therefore, 
better men. Previous to the touch they possessed nothing to 
dignify them over the other men of Israel. 

Mark this, then, God does not take some because they are 
better than others. He gave a clear illustration of this perfec- 
tion, in selecting the nation of Israel to the honors and privi- 
leges of a peculiar people. Did he thus signalize them because 
they were superior to other nations in anything \ If we search 
after their original, we find this written : ' ' Thy birth and thy 
nativity is of the land of Canaan ; thy father was an Amorite, 
and thy mother a Hittite. " Abraham and Sarah, the ancestors 
of Israel dwelt originally among the Amorites and Hittites ; 
and were idolators as they were. The nativity of Israel may 
be dated from the time when the family of Jacob was multi- 
plied into a nation, at this period they d\velt in the land of 



72 



THEIR UNCTIOX. 



Egypt ; and were in the most abject slavery ; and consequently 
without power, wealth, or influence. 

If we fix on numbers as being a claim to advancement over 
other nations, the record will place them below other nations : 
for thus it runs. 4 4 The Lord did not set his love upon you. nor 
choose you, because ye were more in number than any people ; 
for ye were the fewest of all people. n But these we may say 
were outward differences : perhaps, they excelled other nations 
in internal qualities, as wisdom and goodness. Let us search 
and see ; if we find it so, we must yield the point. But a single 
glance at their history, while searching for the particular records 
of their character, so astounds us with their extreme stupidity 
and perverseness, that, without surprise, we read the divine 
caricature, U A nation void of counsel, neither is there any 
understanding in them. " And still we are somewhat surprised, 
when further on, after they had received a long training under 
the teaching of the Most High ; we read another record which 
gives them no better character than this, "My people is fool- 
ish .... they are sottish children, and they ha^e none under- 
standing. " Thus failing to find in them any superiority to 
other nations in wisdom, we despair of finding in them any 
superiority in reference to goodness : for we know that igno- 
rance and immorality cannot be separated ; as the apostle says, 
k 4 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the 
life of God through the ignorance that is in them. " The record 
of Israel's character is in entire harmony with this. Their 
immoral character is set down as an evidence of their want of 
wisdom. "They are wise to do evil, but to do good they 
have no knowledge. " 

To give us a more clear discovery of their original condi- 
tion, it is exhibited to us in the allegoiy of a new-born infant, 
cast out by unnatural parents into some desert place, and left 
to perish. "In the day that thou wast born thy navel was not 
cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee : thou 
wast not salted at all. nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied ihee. 



THE GRACIOUSNESS OF THE TOUCH. 



to do any of these unto thee ; but thou wast cast out in the 
open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou 
wast born. " This is designed to exhibit unto us the desolate, 
weak, forlorn, and polluted condition of Israel ; and to fix 
deeply upon our minds the fact, that they possessed nothing to> 
draw the divine regard ; but everything to excite his abhor- 
rence ; and that from mere good will he favored them. Just 
as a traveller, lighting upon a new-born infant, looks upon it 
and pities it and takes care of it. "And when I passed by 
thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee 
when thou wast in thy blood, Live ; yea, I said unto thee when 
thou wast in thy blood, Live. " 

As men in their folly would imagine that God hoped that 
Israel would prove better than they did, when they would see 
his judgments, and be brought under the mollifying power of 
his mercies ; he has condescended to meet this foolish imagina- 
tion by declaring that as he knew what they were, so he knew 
what they would be, and had a certain foreknowledge of their 
future conduct, "I knew that thou wouldest deal very 
treacherously." 

God, then, did not choose Israel for any excellency in their 
character deserving his esteem. In this they were an emblem 
of the sovereign manner in which God chooses his spiritual 
Israel ; who, because descending immediately from unclean 
parents, who cannot wash them or clothe them, are cast out 
into the open field to the loathing of their persons, in the day- 
that they are born. But in a time of love the Lord passed by 
them, in this polluted, guilty, helpless, hopeless condition. He 
looks upon them and says unto them, "Live" — speaks spirit- 
ual life into them ; causing them to live the life of faith and 
holiness, which will issue in eternal life. All this he does, from 
no claim, from no intercession, from no importunity, but 
"because he loved them." This is the Scripture view of the 
doctrine of election. It is a purpose of mercy respecting some- 



74 



THE IE UXCTIOX. 



individuals, in distinction from others, in which special good 
is designed for them, without our conditions. 

In reference to the salvation of man the Scriptures bring 
clearly into view a covenant of grace, which was entered into 
from eternity between the Father and the Son. This covenant 
was strictly conditional ; which conditions were performed by 
Christ : for which reason he is called. £ * a surety of a better 
covenant. ,? There is now no covenant of life and salvation 
made between God and man. A covenant of this character, 
God did make with man at the beginning ; but man broke the 
condition of it, and cannot fiilfil it, and so cannot obtain salva- 
tion by it. Conditions are entirely thrown out of the gospel 
system of salvation, in so far as they are to be done by man. It 
exhibits a finished salvation with free grace interwoven within 
it throughout. But prominent in the Arniinian system stands 
this article, that God chose his people to salvation upon the 
ground of their foreseen faith and good works. If this is true, 
then faith and good works is the condition of salvation. This 
completely overturns the plan of salvation by grace. What is 
the meaning of a condition \ It is a stipulation, upon the ful- 
filling of which by the party it respects, something promised is 
to be bestowed. Taking the word in this meaning ; if we insist 
on the conditionality of election ; we must consider the salvation 
of the Scriptures in the light of a covenant God has made with 
man, either in time or eternity, upon the fulfilling of which 
man is to do something to entitle him to the salvation made 
over to him in said covenant in this way. And does not this 
carry us directly back to the original plan of salvation by the 
covenant of works \ Salvation by Christ is salvation by grace, 
in direct opposition to the original plan of salvation by works. 
••If by grace," says Paul, '-then it is no more of works." that 
i-. works can no more be the condition of salvation. The term 
grace designates things which come to us in the free and special 
favor and love of God. Grace looks upon none because of 
their worthiness, she elevates none because they are better than 



THE GRACIOUSNESS OF THE TOUCH. 



75 



others. To do so would be entirely inconsistent with her 
amiable character ; and quite subversive of her grand design. 
She always acts with the condescension of an absolute sover- 
eign. She helps those who have no other help. She listens 
only to the plea, ^ Lord, save me, I perish." 

But if good works be the condition of salvation, they must 
be performed prior to the person's being a subject of grace. 
But antecedent to a state of grace good works are, in the 
nature of things, impossibilities. The tree mast be made good 
before the fruit can be good. A bad tree cannot bring forth 
good fruit. "In me," says Paul, "that is, in my flesh," (he 
means his unrenewed part) "there dwelleth no good thing.' 1 
Good works, in the principle of them, every believer has obtained 
when he becomes a new man in Christ Jesus ; and never before. 
Faith is said to be "given on behalf of Christ:" that is, it is a 
grace which comes through Christ — is of God's operation 
within us, and of course not of ourselves. 

Recurring again to the parable of the outcast infant : it is 
enlivened and washed and clothed and fed ; and it grew up into 
maturity so well formed, and was so gorgeously ornamented 
that it attracted all eyes through the perfection of its beauty. 
The various ornaments mentioned are doubtless in accordance 
with the oriental dress of females of the highest rank. The 
whole allegory is designed to set forth the advancement of 
Israel from the degradation of Egypt, to the honor, wealth, 
and power of the land of Canaan. Thus the outcast infant is 
exhibited or advanced to be a princess, with clothing, ornaments, 
and provision suited to her high rank. But was this the reason 
why, when it lay weltering in its pollution, its protector looked 
upon it, and cast his skirts over it — took it under his care. 
This is what he made it to be ; but cannot be assigned as the 
reason why he made it thus. You might as well say that the 
rays of the morning kindle up the rising sun. He utters no 
greater absurdity who says that the works wrought in believers 
by the Spirit are the occasion of salvation. 



76 



THEIR UNCTION. 



To get the truth now stated more firmly fixed in our minds, 
take the following illustration. A good man travelling along 
the highway lights on a boy, a poor, dirty, ragged, starving, 
ignorant, and profane boy : he pities him and takes him to his 
home ; and cleanses him and clothes him and feeds him and 
educates him ; he leads him to read and reverence God's word, 
and commit the catechism : and now he has become a boy so 
beautiful in his demeanor, that he is the pleasure of his bene- 
factor ; and the admiration of the whole neighborhood. Now 
at a glance we see that this is what the boy has become under 
the good man's training ; and not the reason why, when he was 
a poor, dirty, ragged, starving, ignorant, and profane wanderer, 
he took him under his care. 

Now let us view the allegory of the outcast infant a little 
further in its application to true believers. "When I passed 
by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of 
love. " God loved his elect from eternity ; but it is at the time 
of their conversion that this love first becomes manifest. ' b I 
spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness. " This 
answers to the righteousness of Jesus Christ wherewith he 
covers his people in the day of their conversion, that being 
clothed therewith, they shall not be found naked. "I sware 
unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee. " God entered 
into a covenant of redemption with Christ, as the head of the 
elect, from eternity ; but it is at the time of their conversion 
that God manifests himself to them as their covenant God. To 
show the stability of this covenant ; and that his people might have 
strong consolation, he confirmed it with an oath. "Thou 
becamest mine." God's people before their conversion were 
secretly his by electing love, but at the period of their conversion 
they become openly his by regenerating grace. ' ' Then washed 
I thee with water ; yea, I thoroughly washed away tin' blood from 
thee. " This signifies the washing away of sin by the application 
of the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses from all sin — from 
all sin both as to its guilt and pollution. "And I anointed thee 



THE GRACIOUSNESS OF THE TOUCH. 



77 



with oil. " This is the same with the oil of gladness, spoken of 
by the Psalmist. The allusion is to the oil used in the consecra- 
tion of the priests and the vessels of the sanctuary ; and signifies 
the grace of God flowing upon all believers out of the fullness of 
Christ, their head. "I clothed thee also with broidered work," 
This is the same with the raiment of needlework, spoken of by 
the Psalmist ; and expresses the righteousness of Christ, finely 
wrought in divine wisdom. "And shod thee with badger's 
skin.' 1 This signifies the beautiful walk of believers, "having 
their feet shod, " as the apostle expresses it, ' ' with the prepara- 
tion of the gospel of peace." "I girded thee about with fine 
linen. " This refers to the girdle of the ephod, wherewith the 
priests were girt, when they ministered before Cod. It teaches 
us that all believers are made priests unto Cod, and being girt 
with the girdle of love, are constrained to serve Cod with alac- 
rity. "I covered thee with silk," signifying the richness of 
Christ's robe of righteousness; and " I decked thee also with 
ornaments," signifying the graces of the Holy Spirit, as faith, 
hope, love, humility, which are very ornamental to the saints ; 
and in the sight of Cod of great price. "And I put bracelets 
upon thy hands.' 1 Hands being the instruments of action, the 
bracelets, which, springing from faith and love, are beautiful 
as hands with bracelets upon them, "And a chain on thy 
neck." This signifies the inseparable connection there is 
between the graces of the Holy Spirit, which, being linked 
together as a chain, cannot be separated, so that where one 
grace is, all the graces are. "And I put a jewel on thy fore- 
head." This signifies the public profession of religion which 
all true believers make, which shines far beyond the luster of 
the richest jewel : for what brighter ornaments could they have 
than the name of Christ, and the name of his Father on their 
foreheads ? ' ' And earrings in thine ears. " This is to be under- 
stood of that spiritual hearing which Cod gives his people at 
their conversion, by which they hear and understand his word ; 
and hear the voice of Christ so as to distinguish it from the 



78 



THEIR UNCTION. 



voice of strangers. ' ' And a beautiful crown upon thine head. " 
This is to be understood of the doctrines of Christ, which is 
upon the heads of all believers, and which they are exhorted to 
hold fast, and let no man take their crown. 

Now it is plain that believers have not this adorning by nature ; 
nor did they fashion it by their own ingenuity. It can only be 
viewed as the result of redeeming love : and God most emphat 
ically declares, in reference to each part of the work, that him- 
self is the former of it. ' 'Washed I thee with water, " and ' 'I 
clothed thee also with broidered work." Now we must not 
stand up and tell God that he is a liar ; and that we ourselves 
are the makers of our own beautiful dress. Know, then, that 
it is not the faith of believers that gives origin to their election ; 
but that it is their election that gives origin to their faith. 4 'As 
many as were ordained to eternal life believed." They 
believed, because they were ordained unto eternal life : not 
ordained unto eternal life, because it was foreseen that they 
would believe. God could not merely foresee that any of our 
race would believe while lying in their native depravity. He 
determined whom he would save ; and then determined to give 
them faith as a means of obtaining the end of election to salva- 
tion. "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation 
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth :" 
not for your faith and holiness, but through them as the means 
through which the divine purpose is executed. We may be 
helped into a clearer understanding of this truth by taking a 
walk among our fruit trees ; for faith and holiness are what the 
trunk and branches are to the root, by which the vegitating 
juices ascend to produce and ripen the fruit. That is they are 
no more the cause of election than the necessary means to main- 
tain any valuable end are the cause of appointing that end. 
"He hath chosen us ... . that we should be holy ;" not because 
we ever were, or would be holy; but that we might be so. The 
chosen of God are called the sheep of Christ. According to 
his own declaration, none but those who are so called believe on 



THE GRACIOUSNESS OF THE TOUCH. 



79 



him. "Ye believe not, because you are not my sheep." This 
clearly teaches us that believing on him does not make us his 
sheep, or give us a right to this character ; but is an evidence 
that we are so considered in his sight. His people are styled 
his sheep, because the Father elected them and gave them to 
him ; their believing on him is the evidence that they were thus 
elected and given to him. 

Here then is entirely the reverse of the order laid down in 
the Arrninian creed. Now I would just ask an Ar mini an why 
he praj^s to God to save him with an everlasting salvation ? His 
salvation depends upon free will. Then God has done all he 
can to save him, and the matter now rests with himself, whether 
he will be saved or not. And I would ask him to declare 
whether he thinks a righteous God would demand the whole 
song of salvation, not allowing the sinner to sing even a little 
song to his own free will, since all the goings forth of the free 
grace of God could never save one sinner unless free will lend 
her helping hand. It is humiliating to notice such contradic- 
tions ; but they are interwoven with the Arrninian system. 
They are food for a carnal mind ; but they can never be accep- 
table to God. They place him in a position he can never occupy. 
' 'Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his coun- 
sellor hath taught him ? . . . . Behold, the nations are as a drop of 

a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance 

All nations before him are as nothing ; and they are counted to 

him less than nothing, and vanity It is he that sitteth upon 

the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grass- 
hoppers. " All this is said to remind us of the power of Jehovah 
to accomplish his purpose; and yet here is a wonderful tribe of 
beings, who affirm that he cannot do anything without their 
aid and assistance. ' 'Who being his counsellor hath taught 
him?" That is, in the formation and execution of his purposes, 
with whom did he consult as to what he should do, and how he 
should execute? And up springs a host of marvellous grass- 
hoppers and declare him incapable of forming or executing any 



80 



THEIR UNCTION. 



plan without sitting in council with them. "My counsel shall 
stand,''' he says, and "a drop of the bucket,' 1 replies "if I 
choose: 1 ' "and I will do all my pleasure," he continues, and 
"the small dust of the balance" answers, "if it please us." 
and again, he says, "Who hath prevented me, that I should 
repay him?" That is, he means, who hath made me his debtor, 
that he should have a right to demand payment ? and up stands 
4 'nothing, 11 with its companion, "less than, and vanity," saying, 
' 'we demand of thee salvation, for the price of faith and repen- 
tance." Shame on a system which places the Sovereign of the 
universe in every man's power, in relation to his purpose, so 
that it is just as the person pleases, whether it shall be accomplish- 
ed or not accomplished — a system which supposes him to have 
created a free will in rational agents which is beyond his power 
to keep dependent on himself, or manage for answering any lixecl 
purpose ; so that he is incapable of fixing the plan of his whole 
work before he commences it — incapable of fixing any plan, 
but when a created free will is his counsellor ; and must there- 
fore wait in anxious suspense "on the circle of the heavens," 
untaught as to the deduction of his own agency, till a creature 
which he has made — till a creature which has unmade itself — - 
till a creature whose desperately wicked heart cannot think a good 
thought — till such a creature has determined what it is to do, and 
how it is to act. Where is the immutability of God, if he 
is obliged to alter his purpose as the free will of mankind shall 
be pleased to dictate ? One wills to believe to-day, and this must 
determine God's will to save him : but to-morrow he changes 
his will, and resolves to go on in rebellion ; and then God must 
abandon his purpose. Is this the standing of his counsel, and 
the doing of his pleasure? Thus, this conditional scheme of 
salvation, divests G od of the royal splendor of his character — 
his sovereignty, by which he is distinguished from all creatures. 

c The Sovereignty of the Touch includes within it the EqvM- 
€tbleness of the Touch. God, in touching the hearts of this band 
of men, inflicted no injury on those whose hearts he left un- 



THE EQUITABLENESS OF THE TOUCH. 



81 



touched. Absoluteness belongs essentially to sovereignty. It 
is in the power of a sovereign to dispose of those over whom 
his jurisdiction extends as he pleases, without being responsible 
to any. Therefore, without the slightest deviation from the 
strictest justice, God may select or pass by any of his creatures, 
human or angelic, according to his own free pleasure. The 
point is not, how can God save sinners ? for that is not a matter 
of sovereignty. He may save sinners if he choose, but he can- 
not choose to save them without taking vengeance on sin : for 
a salvation without this would be an injury to his own righ- 
teousness and holiness. Therefore, if he save sinners, he must 
from the necessity of his nature execute judgment. This end 
he fully gained by the ordination of his Son to the work : in 
him was the law honored, his insulted holiness vindicated, and 
this provision of a Savior makes way for him to exercise his 
mercy in consistency with his justice. 

Now the point is, may not God, in consistency with his jus- 
tice, exercise his mercy when and where and to whom he pleases ? 
From this proposition corrupt nature turns with an air of 
indignity and retiring to its own dark chambers of fantasy, 
' 'Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the 
life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of 
the blindness of their hearts," takes a view of its own supposed 
greatness, and forming its views of Deity in accordance there- 
with, supposeth that it hath grasped the Eternal, and then it 
comes forth unblushingly declaring, that if God select one and 
pass by another, he is an unjust tyrant. 

In reply to this let me ask the objector a few questions. Is 
not the law of God equitable, both in its preceptive and penal 
requirements ? Has not this law been violated by the whole of 
mankind ? If so, are they not then all guilty, and under the con- 
demnation of the law % If then, Jehovah had allowed all to 
perish, would not his honor as the supreme governor and righ- 
teous judge, have been unimpeached? Now then, let us hear 
wherein is the injustice of leaving some to suffer the doom 

6 



8-2 



THEIR UNCTION. 



which all deserved. Extending favor to one does not injure 
another, when neither deserves favor. The situation of the 
left would not have been better, if all had been left. There is 
nothing vindictive in non-election. It is merely the withhold- 
ing of a free favor, which the sovereign Lord of all may extend 
to whomsoever he pleases. Partiality and respect of pjersons 
can have place only when, in matters of justice, persons are 
unequally dealt with. In a case of free distribution of unmerited 
favors, the terms cannot apply. 

Now let us hear another Arminian chimera, constantly pro- 
claimed, and with an air of triumph, ' 'God never made men to 
damn them. " One would scarcely have thought that persons 
who profess to believe the word of God would so flippantly 
assert such blasphemy. It is the very argument the devil used 
with Eve in the first temptation, ' 'Ye shall not surely die. " 
This same argument the devil is still using with infidels, Univer- 
salists, and scoffers, to persuade them that God has made no 
such a place as hell in the universe. ' w God never made you to 
damn you," is the same argument in different dress, the more 
to conceal the fallacy. It is true that God did not make men 
to damn them, neither did he make men to save them. 

''What did he make them for ?" 

He made men and all things for his own glory. But when 
men rebel against God he must damn them, unless his sover- 
eignty interposes for their deliverance. The error is supposing 
that God damns men in the exercise of sovereignty. 

"How else does he do it ?" 

Why, he does it as a judge, under the direction of the law 
and the evidence. 

"How then does he save men ?" 

Why, as a sovereign, intervening grace. 

"But is not the act in passing by the former, as much an act 
of sovereignty, as that of selecting the latter C 

Yes, the act of pretention is an act of sovereignty ; but it is 
not the ground upon which those who are passed by are damned. 



THE EQUITABLENESS OF THE TOUCH. 



83 



Sovereignty is the ground on which those who are selected are 
saved : for unquestionably there must be on the part of the 
sovereign an absolute purpose to save them ; for without such 
a purpose they too must perish. Those who are passed by are 
passed by in sovereignty ; that is, sovereignty is not exercised 
to avert the liability, and then justice takes its course. No act 
of sovereignty is necessary to secure their punishment. They 
are already under condemnation and must perish unless sover- 
eignty interposes to save them. 

Cease then, O Arminian ! to cry out, 1 k O horrible sover- 
eignty ! " It is all in your own corrupt imagination. Sover- 
eignty saves men from damnation, but never damns any man. 
And yet many a poor sinner, bewildered with your doctrine, 
comes to the conclusion that if God is a sovereign and saves 
whom he chooses, he must be lost. He turns the only ground 
of his hope into an impregnable barrier, and abandons himself 
to despair over the only thing that can fill his heart with joy : 
for, if God did not choose to save sinners, no sinner could be 
saved. Hold up your head, then, desponding sinner : there is 
nothing in the divine sovereignty to alarm you. No evil can 
flow to you from its operation?, but good and good only ; for 
sovereignty cannot be exercised but in the way of grace. 

4 • But how do you account for the natural evil that is in the 
world?" 

Natural evil does not spring from sovereignty. God does 
not afflict his creatures as creatures, but as sinful creatures. 
There was not in the world, nor in God's universe any suffering 
until sin entered. Suffering has to do, not with sovereignty, 
but with equity. All good from God to the sinner is com- 
municated in sovereignty, all evil is from the sinner himself. 
All evil is judicial and deserved ; all good is undeserved and 
gratuitous. I do not wish to be understood as conveying the 
idea that there is never any good communicated to creatures 
in sufferings. Although sufferings are the declarations of 
justice, they may be ordered in sovereignty, and carry in them 



84 



THEIK UNCTION. 



the counsels of clemency. The only hope then of every sin- 
ner is the sovereignty of God. If that is exercised, mercy, 
and mercy only, is the result ; but if it is not exercised, then 
justice will move forward, and treat each sinner exactly as he 
deserves. "Who will render to every man according to his 
deeds." There is nothing then in the divine sovereignty to 
awaken fear ; but everything to inspire love and hope and con- 
fidence. Properly viewed, it is the most comfortable doctrine 
in the word of God. The sinner cannot appeal to justice, for 
that condemns him. He can only appeal to God as a sover- 
eign, pardoning sinners through Jesus Christ. Blot out this, 
and there is no hope of mercy. Cling to it with all the tenac- 
ity of your immortal nature, for your life, your eternal life is 
in it. 

Now Arminian, I would ask you another question. Do you 
know what you express when you say, ' ' the grace of God ? " 
I am very sure you do not ; for if you did you would have the 
same abhorrence of that expression that you have of the 
expression, "the sovereignty of God for both the expressions 
mean the same thing : for if God is not sovereign, if he may 
not withhold his mercy from some while he exercises it towards 
others, or, if he is under obligation to show it to any, or to all, 
then he has no grace to give, but is a debtor unto men, and the 
expressions, " grace of God 1 ' and "covenant of grace," are 
void expressions. Strip God of his sovereignty and you at 
once disqualify him from exercising grace : for that which he 
cannot direct according to his own good pleasure is not his own, 
and that which is not his own, he cannot donate to any of his 
creatures, they having a claim upon it, for it is a contradiction 
to talk of giving to any one that to which he has a right in 
equity. And what thanks could J ehovah demand for redeeming 
characters whom he is in justice bound to redeem? He either 
must do it, or impeach his justice, and then where is the ground 
to call for the shout, "Grace, grace unto it?" What ! is God a 
pigmy that you can so circumscribe him that he cannot bestow 



THE EQUITABLENESS OF THE TOUCH. 



85 



his grace at his pleasure, but if he give it to one he must give 
it to all, or fall under the impeachment of injustice ? Is he a 
fly that you can so entangle him with the cobweb threads spun 
from the bowels of your pride, that he cannot give grace, and 
inflict justice, and be glorified? Why, according to your 
theory, only one sinner could be saved by grace, for when God 
saved one sinner he would in justice be bound to save all the 
rest. Why you would — 

4 'Come now, do not be so harsh with your Arminian brother. 
Alienation rather than conciliation must be the result of such 
severity, especially when there is no real difference. We three 
will agree that, if we attain to the mansions of eternal glory, 
"the grace of God 11 must place us there. Oar Arminian 
brother believes this ; do you not, brother ?" 

"I do." 

"You also believe this." 
I certainly do. 

1 ' Well I believe this, and we all believe that, if we are saved, 
the grace of God must save us.' 1 

But my friend, our Arminian friend means one thing by 
"the grace of God," and we mean quite another thing; and in 
this lies the fallacy. I think a great deal more of my Armin- 
ian friend than I think of you. He is honest ; he states his 
point clearly and tries to defend it, but you bury up funda- 
mental errors under sound phrases. This deception is more 
dangerous to men's souls than open error. Give us honesty 
with its sharpness : away with flattery and its smiles. But I 
will talk to you again. I do not wish you to interfere with us 
any further. Oar point is, "the sovereignty of Godwin the 
salvation of sinners. My Arminian friend thinks that if God 
saves sinners in sovereignty, he lays himself open to the charge 
of injustice. You still maintain your position, my friend? 

"I do." 

I was going to observe when our friend interrupted us, that 
you would not attempt to limit an earthly sovereign in this way. 



86 



THEIR UNCTION. 



If it were his good pleasure to exercise his clemency towards a 
part of a number who had forfeited their lives by turning 
traitors to his government, you would not say to him, "You 
must be clement towards all :" for if all deserved to die, no 
injustice could be done towards the number left to bear the fury 
of the law they had violated. The exempted party would have 
cause to bless their prince, while the other would have no cause 
to complain. Now, earthly sovereigns are created by their sub- 
jects, and for their good ; but the heavenly sovereign created 
his subjects, and created them for his own glory, and yet he is 
not allowed to do what an earthly sovereign may justly do, 
show mercy to some offenders, without any injury to the 
rest. 

"The cases are not parallel. Your comparison sets forth 
the rebellious subjects of tli3 prinoa a^ all actively engigsd in 
the rebellion. The descendants of Adam had no agency with 
him in the first transgression. They were only represented by 
him in committing that transgression, and were, therefore, only 
chargeable with it by imputation. God was, therefore, bound 
to provide for them a remedy, that they might have an oppor- 
tunity of escaping the injurious consequences of that imputa- 
tion ; death, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. " 

What w r ould have been the consequence supposing God had 
not provided a remedy ? 

' ' ' Had not God provided a remedy, ' says our commentator 
Adam Clark, 'he no doubt would have terminated the whole 
mortal story, by cutting off the original transgressors ; for it 
would have been unjust to permit them to propagate their like 
in such circumstances, that their offspring must be unavoidably 
eternally wretched. ' " 

If the posterity of Adam were represented by him, ' ' and 
sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression," the 
justice of God would require their existence : but if it would 
have been unjust in God to bring them into existence under the 
consequences of the original transgression of Adam, then it 



THE EQUITABLENESS OF THE TOUCH. 



87 



would have been unjust in him to impute Adam's transgression 
to them. 

"No, no, for as Watson, our standard writer in Theology, 
says, c In all this, it is impossible to impeach the equity of the 
divine procedure, since no man suffers any loss or injury ulti- 
mately by the transgression of Adam, but by his own wilful 
obstinacy, the "abounding grace" by Christ Jesus having 
placed before all men, upon their believing, not merely a com- 
pensation for the loss and injury sustained by Adam, but infi- 
nitely higher blessings, both in kind and degree, than were for- 
feited by him. ' " 

You might as well say at once that the imputation of Adam's 
sin to his posterity was unjust ; for if the consequences of that 
imputation to them were a "loss and injury," sustained by 
them, for which God was bound to make "a compensation" to 
them, through "abounding grace by Christ Jesus," the impu- 
tation itself was unjust. It follows too from this reasoning, 
that the way in which God justified himself in the imputation 
of Adam's transgression to his posterity was by providing a 
Savior for them, that they might have an opportunity of escap- 
ing the consequences of that imputation. That is, but for the 
provision of this salvation the imputation would have been 
unjust. This absurdity follows that God, by doing a just 
thing, justified himself in doing an injustice. If the imputa- 
tion of Adam's sin to his posterity, with all its real results, was 
unjust, the mission of a Savior could not make it just. A 
detrimental deed cannot be made equitable by another deed 
designed as an amends for the detriment done. If, without 
any incitement, I would hit you on the head with a club, and 
knock you down, would it be any justification of my act, if 
I would lift you up, and close up the wound, and pour in heal- 
ing ointment? This, indeed, would be what I was in justice 
bound to do, but my act in knocking you down would still 
remain an unjust act. I see your favorite author speaks still 
more decidedly in his attempt to refute our doctrine of election 



88 



THEIR UNCTION. 



and reprobation. He says, "In whatever light the subject 
may be viewed, no fault, in any right construction, can be 
chargeable upon the persons punished, or as we may rather say, 
destroyed ; since punishment supposes a judicial proceeding 
which this act shuts out. For either the reprobates are 
destroyed for pure reasons of sovereignty, without any refer- 
ence to their sinfulness ; and thus all criminality is left out of 
the consideration, or they are destroyed for a sin of Adam to 
which they were not consenting. " Evidently, according to this 
reasoning, it would have been unjust in God to condemn any of 
Adam's posterity, either on the ground of his original transgres- 
sion, or on the ground of the consequences flowing therefrom. 
You will admit, however, that the present condition of Adam's 
posterity is a ruined condition, and that if they remain in this 
condition, they must perish. But your author says, it would be 
unjust that they should perish. kk It would be for pure reasons 
of sovereignty without any reference to their sinfulness, and 
thus all criminality is left out of the consideration ; or they are 
destroyed for the sin of Adam to which they were not consent- 
ing." Does it not follow from this position that God was 
bound to provide a Savior for the posterity of Adam, and endow 
them with sufficient power to embrace that Savior ? The pro- 
vision of this Savior, then, was not as your author says, an 
abounding grace, but an abounding necessity. All who embrace 
this Savior shall be saved — saved on the ground of justice; 
all who reject him will be damned — damned entirely on the 
ground of their rejecting him. Neither the original transgres- 
sion of Adam, nor their own actual transgressions enter at all 
into the ground of their condemnation. 

Now, from your reasoning I have made two discoveries : 
First, I have discovered why you Arminians maintain that 
all dying in infancy are saved. Not having committed actual 
transgression, and being incapable of acting faith on the offer 
of the gospel, it would be unjust to condemn the kk little 
innocents," on the ground of the original transgression of 



THE EQUITABLENESS OF THE TOUCH. 



89 



Adam, and therefore, they are saved on the ground of equity. 

4 ' Why, you do not believe that all dying in infancy are 
lost ?" 

No, neither do I believe that all dying in infancy are saved. 

"Why, it is said of the Israelites, who 4 sacrificed their sons 
and daughters to devils,' that they ' shed innocent blood.' " 

It does not mean that the children were strictly free from 
sin, but they were innocent as to the cause of their death, they 
being entirely undeserving of such barbarous treatment. Paul, 
speaking of Jacob and Esau, says, ' 4 Being not yet born, neither 
having done good or evil." He means that they were not 
guilty of any actual transgressions. 

' 4 Well, your own Co'nfession of Faith says, that all infants 
are elected, and 'regenerated and saved by Christ through the 
Spirit, who worketh when and where and how he pleases.'" 

No, it does not say that all infants are elected : it says, 4 ' Elect 
infants dying in infancy are regenerated etc. , " and the phrase 
"elect infants" carries in it, that there are some infants who 
are not elected. 

k ' Well, I will give you something better than your Confess- 
ion of Faith, I will give you the language of our Savior him- 
self. 'And they brought unto him infants, that he would touch 
them : but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But 
Jesus called them unto him and said, Suffer little children to 
come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of 
God.' This language is, Adam Clark says, 4 without limitation 
or exception.' 4 We may justly infer,' he says, 'and all the 
j ustice, as well as the mercy of the Godhead supports the infer- 
ence, that all human beings dying in an infant state are regen- 
erated by the grace of God, which bringeth salvation unto all 
men, and go infallibly to the kingdom of heaven. ' " 

If the justice of God requires that all dying in infancy be 
taken to heaven, his mercy certainly has nothing to do with the 
matter. Our Lord here does teach the doctrine of infant sal- 
vation, but not the -doctrine that all infants are saved. His 



90 



THEIR UNCTION. 



language is certainly limited. It is limited to those infants 
who come to him. Now, infants are incapable of coming to 
him actively, they can only come to him by presentation. The 
Savior then here is speaking of the duty of professing Chris- 
tian parents to bring their children to him. present them to him 
in baptism, ask his blessing upon them, and vow to train them 
for him. The children of professing parents are members of 
the church by birth : they are. therefore, entitled to the visible 
sign of church membership, baptism. The promises of God 
are restricted to believer- and their children, as he saith, "I 
will be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." He is 
never said to be a God to unbelievers and their seed. Peter, 
addressing the Jews on the day of Pentecost, said unto them, 
••Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus 
Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of 
the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you. and to your 
children, and to all that are afar off. even as man}' as the Lord 
our God shall call." That is. not to you who are present only 
is this promise good, but to all. however dispersed, whom God 
by his gospel would call — effectually call. And Paul says. 
"For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and 
the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband : else were 
your children unclean : but now are they holy. " Xow. what is 
the condition of those children whose parents are irreligious, 
and do not present them to Christ — do not ask him to bless 
them — do not vow to train them for him. They are not mem- 
bers of the Church, are not entitled to baptism, are without 
God's covenant, and are therefore unclean. They have no 
promise. AY here is our ground to hope for salvation where 
there is no promise \ As an illustration of the correctness of 
the position I have taken. I would bring to your view one 
Scripture example. When God would destroy Sodom on 
account of the wickedness of the inhabitants, he appeared unto 
Abraham and made known unto him his intention. Abraham 
Inn ing a great concern for Lot. a just man who lived in Sodom, 



THE EQUITABLENESS OF THE TOUCH. 



91 



humbly entered on an entreaty with God on behalf of Sodom. 
He presents no plea on behalf of the guilty inhabitants of the 
place, does not ask God to spare them for their own sakes. He 
fully acquiesces in the righteousness of God in their destruc- 
tion. He honors the righteousness of God by confidently 
declaring that he would not involve the righteous in the same 
condemnation with the wicked. "That be far from thee to do 
after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked ; and 
that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from 
thee : Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ?" He prays, 
therefore, that the city might be spared for the sake of the 
righteous that might be in it. He humbly asks God, "Perad- 
venture, there be fifty righteous within the city : wilt thou also 
destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are 
therein?" "And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty 
righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for 
their sakes. " "Perad venture," Abraham asks again, k - there 
shall lack five of the fifty righteous : wilt thou destroy all the 
city for lack of five ? And he said, If I find there forty and 
five, I will not destroy it. " Would he for forty spare the 
place? Abraham asks again. Yes. For thirty? Yes. For 
twenty ? Yes. For ten ? Yes. Abraham supposing, I reckon, 
that he had brought the number within the limits of Lot's 
family, left off his expostulations. What was the result? 
Sodom was destroyed. All the infants then of Sodom were 
lost. All infants who go to heaven must go there as adults go, 
as righteous. If the infants of Sodom were righteous, God 
would have spared the place for their sakes. 

4 ' I think by the righteous Abraham means only moral adults. " 

Such are denominated self righteous, but are never denomi- 
nated the righteous. Here, and throughout the whole Scrip- 
tures, the phrases, "the righteous" and "the wicked," are put 
in direct opposition, and denote directly opposite character. 
There is no way for you to get round this argument, but by 
denying that there were any infants in Sodom ; and if you 



92 



THEIR UNCTION. 



choose to carry off the argument on that ground, you may go 
with it ; and still as you speak at the funeral of an infant of 
non-professing parents, you can tell them that their infant went 
right straight to heaven ; and by your unwarrantable speech 
encourage them to continue in their sinful negligence in refer- 
ence to their children. 

The second discovery I think I have made from your reason- 
ing is, how it is that many of you Arminians maintain that the 
salvation of the heathen is not impossible. Your position 
seems to be this : God, being bound to devise a remedy whereby 
the posterity of Adam might be compensated for the injury 
they sustained by the imputation of his transgression to them, 
was bound to make that remedy as extensive as Adam's pos- 
terity. In this case, all the posterity of Adam must have an 
opportunity of availing themselves of the remedy ; if not, 
there is an injustice done to them. 

' ' And is not this remedy in some sense as extensive as the 
posterity of Adam?" 

No, in no sense. 

' ' Then you think that the salvation of the nations unblessed 
with a revelation of the gospel is impossible? 1 ' 

I do think that remaining in this condition, they must perish, 
for ' 4 where no vision is the people perish '* — all the people perish. 

' ' That only means, where the gospel is not purely and faith- 
fully preached, and the people will neither reverence nor 
attend to it, the ruin of that people is near. " 

It does mean that, but it means more than that ; it means 
that where there is no revelation of the gospel, the people live 
in ignorance and ungodliness, and perish in their sins. 

"The cases are not similar. Those who reject the vision are 
condemned because they reject it, but those to whom the vision 
has never appeared cannot be condemned on that ground.'' 

No, they cannot be condemned on that ground ; but all men 
are under the condemnation of the law, and without the gospel 
they cannot be delivered from that condemnation. 



THE EQUITABLENESS OF THE TOUCH 



93 



"How can the heathen be under the condemnation of a law 
they are not under and know nothing about ? " 

Although they have no written revelation of the law, yet 
they cannot be considered as without law, for it must be 
observed that there remains in the hearts of all men a measure 
of natural light, the remains — 

' ' Do not talk of natural light. I know of no natural light in 
the hearts of men but what God by his grace has kindled there. 
This is the ' true light that lighteth every man that cometh into 
the world.' And we are not to suppose that because God has 
withheld from the heathen the written revelation of his will, 
that, therefore, he is not to be found by them. Surely, if they 
will walk truly according to this light which God by his grace 
has given unto them, he will give them such discoveries of him- 
self as will be sufficient for their salvation. God has never 
confined himself to any particular way of communicating his 
salvation. It was by his Spirit that he gave originally a written 
revelation of his will, and by the same Spirit he can speak 
without that written revelation. " 

Permit me to say that the light which is in the minds of men 
naturally is merely natural and not the result of grace — not a 
new light kindled up in the minds of men by the grace of God, 
by the dictates of which they may attain to salvation, but, as I 
was going to observe, the remains of the moral law written in 
its purity and perfection, by the finger of God on the heart of 
Adam in his first creation. Therefore, although the heathen have 
not the law written on tables of stones, or in a book, yet they 
have the substance of it written upon their hearts, which is suffi- 
cient to establish the justice of their condemnation. This is the 
very point which Paul establishes, when he says, ' c For when the 
Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things con- 
tained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto 
themselves ; which show the work of the law written in their 
hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts 
the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another. " This is 



94 



THEIR UNCTION. 



the apostle's assertion here, that the Gentiles, although they have 
no written law, yet they have a law the work of which is 
written upon their hearts. This assertion he proves by two 
considerations. First, from the outward conduct of the heathen \ 
they ' ; do by nature the things contained in the law. " Second, 
from the inward motions of their minds, "their conscience 
bearing witness," — producing a sense of right and wrong — a 
fear of evil, and a sense of their accountability to God. On 
this, he grounds his assertion that the Gentiles ' ' are a law unto 
themselves, having the law written upon their hearts." 

1 4 The apostle surely does not mean to assert that the Gen- 
tiles attain to this conformity to law from the remains of the 
old law of works upon their hearts ; for that law was abrogated 
when Adam broke it, and does not demand obedience. What 
the apostle asserts is, that when the Gentiles which have not the 
law do, by the light and influence of God upon their hearts, 
the things contained in the law, they are a law unto themselves; 
that light and influence serving them instead of a divine reve- 
lation. " 

You do not mean to assert that the Gentiles do not sin. 

' ' No, but they do not sin by transgressing the law, but by 
resisting the light and influence of God upon their minds. 
What else does the apostle mean when he says, 1 For until the 
law sin was in the world : but sin is not imputed when there is 
no law ? ' He certainly means, that although sin was in the 
world from Adam to Moses, yet the law was not in the world 
during this period, and therefore the sins committed were no 
transgressions of the law, and could not therefore be imputed. 
Now the heathen are in the same condition of those who lived 
between Adam and Moses ; they sin, but their sins being no 
transgressions of the law are not imputed unto them to con- 
demnation. " 

Oh ! what an interpreter of Scripture you are. The apostle 
means directly the opposite of what you assert. There was 
sin in the world from Adam to Moses, therefore there was law 



THE EQUITABLENESS OF THE TOUCH. 



95 



in the world from Adam to Moses, for where there is no law 
sin does not exist ; 1 'For, " as Paul says, ' ' where no law is, there 
is no transgression." Hence the apostle says, "For as many as 
have sinned without law shall also perish without law." That 
is, he means without a written law. The apostle does not say 
that those who have sinned without law are guilty without law, 
but that they shall perish without law. On what ground ? do 
you ask ? On the ground that they are under the condemnation 
of the law, the evidence of which is, they have the law written 
upon their hearts. Your assertion, that the moral law was 
abrogated when Adam transgressed it, and does not demand 
obedience, is not true. Adam was placed under that law at the 
beginning as a covenant, and under it, as broken, all his 
unbelieving posterity remain as one with him. Your asser- 
tion too, that God by his Spirit works graciously in the hearts 
of the heathen without the medium of the written revelation of 
the gospel, is unscriptural. The divine constitution is, that the 
gospel must be communicated to the minds of men through the 
external instrumentality of the word, in order to its being 
made effectual by the internal workings of his Spirit. Why 
send the gospel to the heathen at all, if your reasoning is correct ? 

"It is undoubtedly the duty of these who are favored with a 
written revelation of the gospel to send it to those who have it 
not. It is a very great blessing to them inasmuch as they can 
learn from the written revelation more clearly, more fully, more 
savingly, what the Spirit of God had before written upon their 
hearts." 

I say again that God does not work by his grace in any heart 
without the gospel, for as the apostle saith, ' ' Faith cometh by 
hearing, and hearing by the word of God." "How then shall 
they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how 
shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and 
how shall they hear without a preacher % And how shall they 
preach, except they be sent? " Wherever God has a people in 
the world he will send his gospel to them. Our conclusion, 



96 



THEIR UNCTION. 



therefore, concerning those who are not thus favored, can only 
be that they all perish. 

' 4 Your reasoning certainly makes God a respecter of persons. " 

No, not if the posterity of Adam have no claims upon him. 
Then in that case he may justly leave all to perish under the 
curse of the law, as there can be no injustice in inflicting a just 
penalty : and then too, if for reasons satisfactory to his infinite 
wisdom he chose to pass by some, no injury is done to them. 

Come now, let us go down together into the potter's house, 
and we will see this truth most clearly set forth. I remember 
that when God would teach the prophet Jeremiah his sovereign 
and irresistible power over men, and his indisputable right to 
dispose of them as he pleases, he said unto him, ' ' Arise, and 
go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to 
hear my words." I have been down in the potter's house 
different times, and I never got so much advantage anywhere. 
Now I have a mind to go down again that I may get my mind 
refreshed with God's way of saving sinners, and if you will be 
so condescending as to go down along with me, you shall see 
the operation. Now let us survey the artificer sitting at his 
work. You need not be afraid of him : he is quite familiar, 
and will show us the whole process. See now as the wheel goes 
round, with what an easy address and commanding touch, he 
causes the frame to grow up in his hands ; now throwing it back 
to what it was before, now raising and sinking it, now widening 
and contracting it, now making it pass by a quick transition into 
another form, now rejecting it, now preserving ic, rendering it 
now a vessel to honor, and now a vessel to dishonor. Now let 
let us hear what he is saying to us as he goes through the 
operation. "O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this 
potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's 
hand, so are ye in mine hands, O house of Israel. " Do not get 
uneasy now ; you never were in a safer place. I see your fine 
coat is becoming somewhat soiled with the clay. You need not 
try to rub it off. It is of that character it will not rub off. 



THE EQUITABLENESS OF THE TOUCH. 



97 



The apostle Paul got his fine coat soiled in the potter's house ; 
and he just threw it off and went forth in this attire — an attire 
that will not soil, and will never wear out, 1 k Therefore hath he 
mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he 
hardeneth. 1 ' Paul had the same unhumbled opposers of this 
doctrine to contend with that we have. He was quite familiar 
with the reply they would make to the conclusion he had come 
to. " Thou wilt say then, why doth he yet find fault? for who 
hath resisted his will ? " The force of the objection is. that if 
his doctrine were true, sinners are absolved from blame, and 
cannot be found fault with, seeing the event was determined by 
the will of God. He answers this objection by declaring and 
maintaining the doctrine of the divine sovereignty, in such a 
way as to silence the pride and presumption of man. He tells 
the presumptuous objector that it is not proper for a creature to 
call his Creator to an account for any of his proceedings. 1 4 Nay 
but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God ? Shall the 
thing formed, say unto him that formed it, Why hast thou made 
me thus ? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same 
lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? " 
Creatures are necessarily under law to their Creator; they are 
bound to conform to all the revelation he makes of his will as 
the rule of their duty, and are justly condemned and punished 
when the'y do not conform in all things to the rule he hath 
prescribed : but he is under no obligation to them any more 
than the potter is under obligation to the clay which he moulds 
into any shape that pleaseth him. Observe, the simile is not 
that of a goldsmith, who, having such costly materials as gold 
and silver to operate upon, is under some constraint to fashion 
them into honorable vessels. The matter of the potter is sordid, 
and so more in conformity with degraded humanity, from which 
God makes his selection. Demand of the potter the reason of 
his different procedure with the same lump of clay, and why he 
formed it into vessels so dissimilar in shape, and opposite in 
purpose. As guided by common sense the artificer readily 



7 



98 



THEIR UNCTIOX. 



answers : tk Xot anything in the clay itself, but from the 
pleasure of my own will : for the whole lump before me was of 
equal medium and property, nor could any of the parts direct 
how they would he fashioned, or for what purpose." Thus does 
the potter without a pause take the position of a sovereign in 
reference to his lump of clay. Are not mankind in the hands 
of God as the clay is in the hands of the potter \ Or is the 
power of puny mortals over inert matter superior to that of 
Jehovah over rebellious creatures? Thus does the apostle 
suppress the assumption of ignorant and irreverent men, who 
venture to speak about injustice, cruelty, and tyranny, in 
discoursing about their offended Creator and Judge ; who 
determine in their own minds, by a reasonless ratiocination, how 
the infinite God ought to act ; and then forgetting his infinite- 
ness. and their own puniness, charge him with foolishness. Oh ! 
what a compound of presumption, irreverence, and foil}', that will 
give the only wise God no estimation for his justice, wisdom, 
truth, and goodness, when they cannot fully comprehend them ; 
that will not infer from his infinite wisdom that he cannot do 
wrong however it might appear to them. This wicked world does 
not exhibit a more glaring proof of human depravity. I know 
that some have attempted to break the force of this passage 
by asserting that the apostle speaks of men nationally, not 
personally, in reference to their eternal state. In answer to 
this I only observe, that the apostle's main subject is the 
rejection of the Jewish nation with the reservation of a remnant 
according to the election of grace. 

But do we attempt to obliterate the divine sovereignty from 
grace, we will find it written in legible characters in creation. 
Why did God make the world a few thousand years ago? 
Because he found it necessary to promote his happiness \ Xo, 
because it was the pleasure of his will to make the world. 
u Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they arc and 
were created." And why such different forms of matter, as a 
star, a flower, a fly \ ' 'God giveth ita body as it hath pleased him. " 



THE EQUITABLENESS OF THE TOUCH. 



99 



But failing to vail this attribute in creation, and turning to 
providence, we meet with no better success. If God's method, 
in his distribution of the blessings thereof to some, and entirely 
withholding them from others, is inimical to his justice, then 
how harmonize his justice with the methods of his procedure 
in providence in numerous instances? We see that he affords 
the means of grace, his word and ordinances to some, and entirely 
withholds them from others. He has given us a very clear 
example of this in his selecting Israel to the enjoyment of the 
means of grace, and withholding this privilege from every other 
nation under heaven. True, he never distinguished any nation 
in such a notable manner; but still he makes the same distinction, 
as we see by looking at ourselves, and then turning our eyes 
on Hindoostan and China ; while we have enjoyed the means of 
grace, these nations have been left in the darkness of heathenism. 
Now if God may bestow spiritual privileges on some nations to 
the exclusion of others, and his justice and goodness raise no 
rebellion against the procedure, will these attributes assume a 
hostile attitude, if he select certain persons to the enjoyment of 
the benefits arising from these spiritual privileges { 

By a similar method does God distribute to mankind temporal 
things, communicating liberally enjoyments of every kind to 
some, and leaving others more worthy, to contend all their life 
time with poverty and distress. See, there is a man in poverty, 
and there is another in affluence, * 'The rich and the poor meet 
together, the Lord is the maker of them all. 1 ' See, there is a 
man* on a throne, and there is another on a dunghill. 4 1 Promo- 
tion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from 
the south ; but God is the judge : he putteth down one, andsetteth 
up another.''' This nation inhabits a fertile country, that a 
parched wilderness, a third a frozen continent. The sovereign 
will of God determined the bounds of their habitation. The 
same wind blows down a man's dwelling, and passes over the 
dwelling of his neighbor. The Lord directeth the winds. Job, 
although the most upright of all men, is afflicted without cause. 



100 



THEIR UNCTION. 



Now if we acquiesce in the providential procedure of God in 
his different treatment of men, in reference to the temporal 
blessings of life, will we yield to a carping mood in reference 
the blessings of his grace, because he does not show an equal 
regard to all ? Between temporal and eternal blessings there is, 
to be sure, a very great difference ; yet, if his discrimination 
between his creatures in giving or withholding the latter, be in 
any way an impeachment of his character ; so must the former 
be in the same proportion. 

But God does not confine himself to men in this method of 
procedure ; and it serves to confirm and illustrate his sover- 
eignty, that his election takes place in angels as well as men. 
Paul, to impress upon the mind of Timothy his awful responsi- 
bility as a minister, most solemnly charged him before God, and 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels; and we read also of 
the angels ' 1 who kept not their first estate. " The former were 
confirmed in holiness, while the others were left to fall from 
their integrity : and this difference was the sovereign pleasure 
of God; for as they were all of the same species, the former were 
not chosen because they possessed any superiority to the latter. 

But the sovereignty of God is most strikingly displayed in 
the rejection of all the fallen angels. ct He spared not the 
angels that sinned but cast them down to hell, and delivered 
them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." 
Now contrast this procedure of God with the angels, with his 
procedure with some of the human family, and what a visibility 
does it give his sovereignty ? Although in the scale of being, 
the angelic nature is far superior to the human, yet for these 
morning stars, who had fallen from their orbits, no Savior was 
provided, while for these creations of dust, who had joined with 
them in their rebellion, the eternal Word became flesh : ' ' For 
verily he took not on him the nature of angels ; but he took on 
him the seed of Abraham. " Come now, ye who weep over the 
prostration of the divine equity, in the procedure of God in 
reference to the human race, on the conclusion that he has 



THE JUDICIOUSNESS OF THE TOUCH. 



101 



chosen some to salvation, and passed others. Stand up now, 
and vindicate the cause of these ancient revolters, and scuffle 
with the Almighty because he has left them all to perish, while 
he has shown favor to fallen men. What ! have you nothing 
to plead on their behalf? Well, I think, in congruity with 
yourselves, it is full time for you to open sympathies for these 
poor devils, and in place of designating Satan, the arch fiend and 
destroyer, present him in the same position that you do fallen 
men. If God was just in leaving fallen angels without a possi- 
bility of being saved, I would like to know on what ground 
you can indict his justice for leaving fallen men in the same 
condemnation. Well then, you leave the devil to plead his own 
cause ; and if you will allow him the use of your argument, and 
he has audacity enough to employ it, he will certainly exhibit 
the Almighty in quite as invidious a light for passing by fallen 
angels, and redeeming fallen men. But did ever reasoning of 
this kind come from the devils ? It is ecorded of them, tempt- 
ing Christ, and crying out, ' ' What have we to do with thee, 
Jesus, thou son of God, art thou come to torment us before the 
time ? " Here is an intimation that they had nothing to do with 
Christ as a Savior, had no interest in his grace and righteousness. 
Then we might have expected that it would follow, ' i O thou 
capricious tyrant, that thou didst not give us a chance for salva- 
tion ! " No, they acknowledge the justice of their punishment, 
and only plead for a little respite, which in sovereignty he might 
extend them. And the devils besought him, saying, "If thou 
cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine ; " 
which was certainly an appeal to him as a sovereign. Then, in 
this highest species of crime men excel devils, carping with 
the divine sovereignty, and saying, not "Suffer us," (No, they 
will not allow the Lord the right of suffrage, ) not, ' ' Art thou 
come to torment us before the time,' ' but "It is unjust in you to 
torment us at all." 

d. The Sovereignty of the Touch includes in it the Judicious- 
ness of the Touch. I have observed that God distinguished 



102 



THEIR UNCTION. 



this band of the men of Israel, because it was his good pleasure 
to do so. If I am asked why it was his good pleasure thus 
to distinguish them, I reply, I cannot tell the reasons why. 

'•Now," exclaims the Arminian, 4L my triumph is complete; 
I have caught you now." 

I do not feel any alarmed — 

k k Not alarmed ? Why, you have charged the Lord with a 
blind partiality, with working in an arbitrary manner, by a mere 
dictate of will without wisdom" — 

Stop, not so fast. I do not wish to be charged with charging 
such things on the all-w T ise God. 

' k Why, you said he touched the heart of one, and passed by 
another, without any reasons for so doing." 

I did not. I said, I could not tell the reasons why it was 
his good pleasure to do so. It does not necessarily follow that 
a truth is unreasonable, because I am unable to give the reason 
for it. We admit the truth of many things we can no more 
unravel than we can enclose the ocean in our hands. If you did 
not set your, reason above revelation in this subject, you would 
not talk in reference to it in this manner. It is not because 
the Scriptures do not reveal this doctrine that you reject it, but 
because, being unable to understand it, you conclude that it 
must be unreasonable. You had better turn out infidel at once. 

tk You cannot charge me with infidelity." 

With a great deal more force than you can charge me with 
charging the Almighty with a blind partiality. Has your 
religion no mystery in it ? 

t; It does not contain what I cannot comprehend." 

Then it is not the religion of God's holy word ; for great is 
the mystery of godliness. Or do you arrogate to yourself such 
an intellectual altitude that you can wade in those waters where 
the great, the inspired Paul could find no bottom, and cried 
out, it 0 the depth!" Is it wonderful that in a revelation 
from God there are some things mysterious \ Would it not be 
more wonderful if it were otherwise \ Do we find ourselves 



THE JUDICIOUSNESS OF THE TOUCH. 



103 



baffled in our attempt to analyze the essence of his works, even 
to a blade of grass ; and can we go from his works into his 
word with the expectation of comprehending all things clearly ? 

u But how can we be expected to believe mysteries?" 

I reply that it by no means follows that because the doctrines 
of the gospel are mysterious, that we are required to believe 
mysteries. Let me try to make this plain. The objects of 
faith are analogous to those of knowledge. The book of nature 
is full of mysteries. But let us tix our mind upon one object, 
light. It is a mystery which we cannot comprehend. But we 
know that light does exist. But what, in this case, is the object 
of knowledge? the way in which light does exist? No, the 
the simple fact of its existence, without reference to the mystery 
of its existence, is the object of our knowledge. The fact of its 
existence is mysterious, but this does not hinder our knowledge of 
it. Now the only difference between this object of knowledge, anc 
the objects of faith is, that in the case of faith, we admit thfe 
facts on the ground of testimony, and in religion upon the 
testimony of the God of truth, when, in the case of light, we 
admit the fact from observation and perception. In both cases 
the facts, as distinguished from the mysteriousness of their 
nature, are the objects of knowledge and of faith. If we can 
believe only what we can understand, we cannot believe that 
there is any such thing as light, we cannot believe our own 
existence, we cannot believe that stars shine, that flowers bloom, 
that grass grows, we can believe nothing. 

Now the idea that I wish to impress upon your mind is, that 
while all the doctrines of the gospel are mysterious, they are all 
clearly revealed, are all reasonable and of practical utility. To 
use another illustration, the humble Christian learns the use and 
value of the Scriptures as the mariner learns the use and value 
of the compass. Why does the needle invariably take a poll? 
direction ? The mariner cannot tell : he knows that it does so 
and that by it alone he can find his way through the trackless 



104 



THEIR UNCTION. 



deep, escape the dangers of his voyage, and arrive in safety at 
his desired haven. 

So the humble Christian feels the value and use of the Scrip- 
tures. He understands the practical part of its testimonies, 
drawn from the majesty of its style, the purity of its contents, 
and the unity of its parts ; he sees that it points invariably to 
the one place, heaven. He has a trackless ocean to pass through, 
and he feels that the Scriptures are his only guide through his 
perilous voyage, and that if he would escape making shipwreck 
of the faith and a good conscience, and avoid the rocks and 
quicksands on which thousands, trusting madly to their guid- 
ance, and neglecting the heavenly direction, perish, he must 
follow his inspired guide, his sacred compass. He does so, and 
passes safely through the troublesome waves of this present 
world, he arrives at length at his destined haven. 

It was said by some of old that the Scripture hath fords 
shallow enough for lambs to wade, and deep enough for elephants 
to swim. And it is true with respect to the perspicuity of some 
places, and the difficulty of others. But let any lamb of Christ 
come to the reading and hearing of God's word, in that order, 
and with that reverence which is required, and he will find no 
places so dark and difficult, but what it will yield him that 
refreshment which is suited unto him, and safe for him. Even 
though he may seem like the feeblest lamb of Christ, he will 
find some advantage — his graces excited, or his mind enlightened, 
or his conscience peculiarly brought into reverence for God. 
And let the wisest and most experienced person, who seems like 
an elephant in spiritual skill and strength among the flock, come 
to the plainest places to search out the mind and will of God in 
it ; if he be humble, he will hardly vaunt that he hath sounded 
the depth of it, and perfectly comprehended all that is in it ; 
seeing that whatever we know, we know but in part. And all 
of Christ's people, elephants and lambs, may meet at the same 
passage of this river that makes glad the city of God ; and all 
of them may go in together, the elephant swimming, and the 



THE JUDICIOUSNESS OF THE TOUCH. 



105 



lambs wading safely. The poorest of the flock, in the right use 
of means, may take enough for themselves, even suitable direc- 
tion and refreshment, from the deepest places in Scripture. 
And not only in the several places of Scripture, but in the same 
place there is food meet for the several ages of Christians, 
whether babes or children or strong men, with light and 
direction for all sorts of believers, according to the degree of 
their own light and grace. 

It has been said in illustration of this subject, "A man whose 
eyes are too weak to bear the light of a candle, can never be 
considered a proper person to look steadfastly on the full blaze 
of the sun. " The perfections of God, as they shine in his works 
of creation and providence, are as the burning of a candle at mid- 
night ; his perfections, as they shine in the work of redemption, 
are as the blazing of the sun at mid-day. If we do not possess 
sufficient intellectual power to look steadfastly at the glory of 
God as shining in the works of nature, what folly is it for us to 
suppose that we are able to gaze upon the full blaze of his glory 
shining forth in the redemption of the church. The philosopher 
does not pronounce the works of God absurdities, because he is 
baffled in his attempt to comprehend them, and shall we discredit 
the truth of God's word and pronounce it absurd, because we 
cannot explore the arcanum? "All things," we are told, 
' ' work together for good to them that love God, to them who 
are the called according to his purpose." All providential 
dispensations are here included. But there are many of these 
dispensations that we cannot comprehend ; and, indeed, some- 
times all things seem to be against us. But this does not alter 
the truth that they are working for our good. Old Jacob said 
on one occasion, "All these things are against me," and yet he 
lived to see that they were all working for him. 

But man's wisdom is displeased with God's wisdom ; his 
thoughts are not as their thoughts, and therefore they are dis- 
contented ; because they act on certain defined principles, they 
fancy that an infinite being must do the same. If it is his good 



106 



THEIR UNCTION. 



pleasure, out of millions of brands, to take one out of the burn- 
ing, and to leave another, they call him an arbitrary being, just 
because they cannot comprehend the reason of his procedure. 
How decisively might he answer every objector who would 
challenge his dispensations as to this or the other sinner, in the 
very w^ords that he uttered before, concerning John, " If I will 
that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee % " But we want to 
see, not as mortals, through a glass darkly, but with the clear 
unrestrained vision of angels ; we are not content to trust God 
that he will make all things work together for good ; but we 
must search out his path in the deep, and attempt to follow him 
through great waters ; and if we cannot get as full an insight as 
we could wish into his purposes, we become suspicious and 
unbelieving. If there are points in the divine economy too 
high to be reached by the most elevated mind, if with all our 
soaring we cannot discern their intent, there is one Scripture 
which, of itself, ought to silence us into profound humility, 
k ' The foolishness of God is wiser than men ; and the weak- 
ness of God is stronger than men." And since, dimmed as our 
vision is in our present imperfect and sinful state, we are capable 
of discerning the wisdom of God in many of his ways, which is 
just discerning the wisdom of many of the decrees, as manifested 
in action ; is it not exceedingly reasonable, as w T ell as dutiful, to 
conclude, that all those decrees, the wisdom of which is either 
partially or entirely hid from our eyes, and "concerning which 
we may be ready to form the most unhallowed conclusions, are. 
nevertheless, most wise ? And is it not highly exhilerating to 
anticipate that elucidation of the w r isdom of the divine decrees, 
and of every instance of divine procedure from first to last. 
Avhich our Lord Jesus Christ will afford us at his glorious 
appearing, when the mystery of God will be finished t Yea, 
what reason have we to be deeply humbled, that, through 
remaining corruption, w<e feel so much disposed to question the 
wisdom of the dispositions of our God, and thus impeach the 
wisdom of the plan itself ( Evil workings of this kind some- 



THE JUDICIOUSNESS OF THE TOUCH. 



107 



times prevailed even in the mind of Job himself, who in the 
display of patience and magnanimity, amid afflictive privations, 
had scarcely been equaled among all the saints. And let us 
not overlook how reasonably and severely the Lord reprehended 
him on account of his murmuring, when he spake to him out of 
the whirlwind, wt Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty 
instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it. Then 
Job answered the Lord and said, Behold I am vile; what shall 
I answer thee ? I will lay my hand upon my mouth. Once 
have I spoken ; but I will not answer : yea, twice ; but I will 
proceed no further." fct I uttered that I understood not ; things 
too wonderful for me, which I knew not.'" 

Our faith in the mysterious things of divine revelation stands 
on two sure foundations : The first is, that the being, wisdom, 
and power of God do infinitely transcend ours, and so 
may reveal matters far above our reach. The second is, whatever 
God reveals is undoubtedly true, and to be believed, though the 
bottom of it cannot be sounded by our reason. He bestows his 
favor on whom he pleases, yet being an infinitely wise agent, he 
must always have the highest reason for what he does. He 
directs all the concerns of his great dominion for the display of 
his own perfections, according to his all comprehensive under- 
standing and pertinacious uprightness of will. His love towards 
his rebellious creatures in the entirety of its action must be 
under the control of his divine understanding, and as his illimit- 
able intelligence apprehends all possibilities, his love must be 
perfectly wise in all its operations. The supreme perfection of 
Jehovah's nature prohibits our supposing that he can decree 
without wisdom, any more than he can regulate without recti- 
tude, or punish without righteousness. To resolve his decrees 
into his will, separated from his wisdom, would be to exhibit 
him as an impious tyrant rather than as a God, most wise. This 
would not only be mooting in the face of sound wisdom, but 
also in the face of God's holy word. Paul, when discoursing 
on the subject of eternal predestination, concludes thus, "O the 



108 



THEIR UNCTION. 



depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! " 
So far from intimating that he had reduced the subject to the 
measure of his comprehension, he most emphatically intimates 
its unfathomable incomprehensibility ; and with the most pro- 
found adoration gives expression to the exceedingly admirable 
wisdom of God contained in it. God then has reasons for 
choosing some to eternal life to the exclusion of others : but let 
it be observed that the reasons of his choice are not in the 
persons themselves ; and that infinitely wise as they must be, he 
has not seen fit to reveal them. 

e. The Sovereignty of the Touch carries in it the Holiness of 
the Touch. Now Arminian, you will be disposed to controvert 
this statement. 

4 < I certainly will. You have stated that the reason why this 
band of men acted with Saul was, because their hearts were 
touched ; and that touch was purposed from eternity. " 

I have stated so. 

4 4 Then does it not follow that the reason why the sons of 
Belial did not act with Saul was, because their hearts were not 
touched?" 

It does follow. 

44 It follows also that the event was determined from eternity?" 
It does. 

"Then it was certainly to be?" 
It was. 

"Then it follows that God was chargeable with the sin of 
their rebellion." 

No, that does not follow. This is the point to be settled. 
Let us look at it. You surely acknowledge that God is omni- 
scient, and if so, he must know all things ; and therefore, all 
things that come to pass were certainly to be. 

4 4 1 acknowledge that God is omniscient, and can know all 
things ; but it docs not follow from this that he must know all 
things." 

Explain yourself. 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



109 



"I distinguish events into absolute and contingent. By 
absolute events, I mean those things which God has ordained 
as absolutely certain, and which he knows will certainly come to 
pass. By contingent events, I mean such things as the infinite 
wisdom of God has thought proper to poise on the possibility of 
being or not being, leaving it to the will of intelligent beings to 
turn the scale. This position is entirely tenable; for as God's 
omnipotence implies his capacity to do all things absolutely, so 
his omniscience implies his capacity to know all things. But 
as it does not follow from his omnipotence that he must do all 
things, so it does not follow from his omniscence that he must 
know all things." 

If I would let you go with all your own definitions you might 
carry your point. Your definition of God's omnipotence is 
correct. It is his capacity to do all things absolutely. It is in 
this sense Jeremiah speaks, when he says, in reference to God, 
" There is nothing too hard for thee." And our Savior says, 
' 1 With God all things are possible. " Neither the prophet nor the 
Savior says that God does all things, but that he has a capacity 
to do all things. Another Scripture declares that God's power 
as to its actual exercise is under the direction of his will: "But 
our God is in the heavens; he hath done whatsoever he hath 
pleased. " Therefore, although we cannot say that there are any 
things that God cannot do, yet we may say in truth that there 
are many things that God does not. 

Your definition, however, of God's omniscience is unscript- 
ural. The Scriptures never set it forth as a capacity to acquire 
knowledge, but as actually comprehending all things. In this 
sense Paul speaks when he says, 4 ' But all things are naked and 
open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." In the 
same sense also Peter speaks when he says, ' 1 Lord, thou 
knowest allt hings." John also means the same thing when he 
says, "God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." 
Job also, when speaking with reference to God's omniscience, 
says, 6 ' His eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all 



110 



THEIR UXCTTOX. 



bis goings." He has not to wait until man acts to know what 
lie will do, but actually knows how he will act. There is no suc- 
c ession of knowledge with God, but he knows all things, all that 
has been, all that is, and all that will be : and while it is true in 
reference to his omnipotence, that there are many things he 
does not do. it is not true in reference to his omniscience, that 
there are any things he does not know. In reference to God. 
there is. therefore, no such a thing as contingencies. In refer- 
ence to ourselves, many things come to pass that are contingent; 
because we could not know whether they would come to pass: 
but to speak in this manner in reference to God is absurd and 
profane. 

• • Talk about absurdity and profanity, when these two ugly 
kinsmen stare you in the face from your own position." 
How ? 

"According to your position everything comes to pass by 
the fixed purpose of God. and. therefore, must certainly come 
to pass. The consequence of this is. that the volitions of moral 
agents are destroyed, and they are impelled to act just as God 
has purposed. The horrible conclusion also follows that God 
is the author of all sin in the world. Indeed it follows that 
there can be no such a thing as sin, for as God can do nothing 
that is wrong, whatever is. is right. To escape these absurdi- 
ties and blasphemies, we must maintain the doctrine of the 
contingency of human actions. This leaves their volitions free, 
and they will be accountable to God for all that they do." 

Why you seem as if you would take me by storm. Let us 
keep calm: we will gain nothing by becoming excited. 

Your first difficulty is. that if God forsees the actions of 
rational agents, their liberty of will is destroyed. We cannot, 
and perhaps angels cannot tell how a man acts, and knows he 
acts freely, while God has immutably fixed by an eternal decree 
how he should act. But if God has told us in his holy word 
that he does foresee the actions of rational agents, and has 
substantiated his declaration that he does so. by giving us 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



ill 



numerous examples, how can we deny that be does so without 
calling him a liar, and attempting- to cast him from his throne, 
and advancing ourselves as independent beings, whose actions 
and thoughts are not under his control? Surely the whole 
voice of prophecy proclaims the sovereignty of a Holy God; 
and teaches us plainly and decisively that every event is decreed 
in the dispensations of providence: as well as in grace — every 
action foreordained, every thought, every circumstance, the 
most minute in the life of every individual, foreknown and 
predestinated from all eternity; and all in perfect consistency 
with the free agency of man. Let us look at a few examples: 
Did not Pharoah act voluntarily in refusing to hearken to 
God's commandment to let the children of Israel go? and had 
not God said to Moses, tk I am sure the King of Egypt will not 
let you. go?" The children of Israel acted voluntarily in 
rebelling against the Most High; and yet the Most High 
declared concerning them, kt I knew that thou wouldest deal very 
treacherously. " 

Now let us follow a man of God to the idolatrous altar of 
Bethel; listen to him crying against it in the word of the Lord, 
kt O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold, a child shall be 
born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee 
shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense 
upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee. 1 ' Here 
we see that the power of Jehovah was with this man, consti- 
tuting him a true prophet by a revelation from himself. He 
proclaims the advancing devastation of the idolatrous altar; 
and foretells with entire accuracy the events that would attend 
its overthrow. He names the very man whom God would 
raise up to fulfil his annunciation. And mark the length of 
time between the prophet's annunciation and its fulfilment. 
Year after year passes away until three hundred years have 
rolled around, and yet none of the kings of Judah has given 
the name Josiah to his son. But now, when the time predesti- 
nated by God has arrived, we find Amon, a wicked son of 



112 



THEIK UNCTION. 



bloody Manasseh, giving his son the name Josiah. Surely, 
unconsciously yet voluntarily, he did this: for he could have no 
aim of exalting Go'd, accomplishing his word, and demolishing 
idolatry in doing so; for his whole life was spent in dishonoring 
God, disregarding his law, and devoting himself to idols. Yet 
from eternity Jehovah had foreordained what this prophet pro- 
claimed, that Anion should give his son this name, and that he 
should accomplish the predicted judgment: and yet Amon, in 
naming his son, acted freely. What more pending on the free 
will of man than naming a child ? Yet here, by God's decree, 
a child is named J osiah, while the father acted freely in naming 
him Josiah. The infallible decree of a sovereign God did not 
in this instance — does not in any instance — put a force or 
offer the least violence to the human will. 

Analogous to this is the prophecy of Isaiah in reference to 
Cyrus, King of Persia, whom God raised up as an instrument 
to execute his purpose of delivering the people of Israel from 
their captivity in Babylon, and leading them back to their own 
land. Of this Cyrus God said, tk He is my shepherd, and shall 
perform all my pleasure." And in furtherance of the divine 
pleasure this Cyrus would say k 1 to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be 
built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." 
The agency of the Lord in the movement of Cyrus is 
minutely described by the prophet, k ' Thus saith the Lord to 
his annointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to 
subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, 
to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall 
not be shut; I will go before thee and make the crooked places 
straight : I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in 
sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of 
darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest 
know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the 
God of Israel. For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine 
elect, I have even called thee by thy name; I have surnamed 
thee, though thou hast not known me." Here is a direct 



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113 



apostrophe to Cyrus as though he were present, although the 
prophecy was delivered one hundred and fifty years before 
Babylon was taken by him. According to the usual mode of 
designating kings, he is called the Lord's anointed. It does 
not mean that he was a man of piety. The title does not sig- 
nify holiness of character, but appointment to office; and 
signifies that his appointment as king was owing to the arrange- 
ments of divine providence, and he was to be employed in 
accomplishing his purpose in delivering Israel from their cap- 
tivity in Babylon. But before he could accomplish this design 
he must conquer Babylon; and lief ore he could conquer Babylon 
he must conquer other nations. Accordingly, Cyrus, strength- 
ened and directed by the Lord, went irresistibly forward; all 
barriers were taken out of his way, populous nations yielded to 
him, gates of brass and bars of iron were broken before him, 
potent kings were intimidated and enfeebled. We see a literal 
fulfilment of this in the case of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, 
when the city was taken by Cyrus. When the hand came forth 
on the walls of the palace, and the mysterious fingers wrote 
his condemnation, "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPIIARSIJS/^ 
it is said, ' c Then the king's countenance was changed, and his 
thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, 
and his knees smote one against another." In this example we 
see God making the voluntary purposes of a heathen king sub- 
serve his purpose, a purpose proclaimed in prophecy one 
hundred and fifty years before. 

Passing from the Old to the New Testament, we find examples 
of like character. "And it came to pass in those days, that 
there went out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the 
world should be taxed." To this order Augustus was impelled 
by his own ambition and rapacity. Yet who, that considers the 
end answered by it, can doubt that an omniscient God controls 
the volitions of free agents to accomplish his own purposes, with- 
out any design on their part to accomplish these purposes ? The 
prophet Micah had predicted many ages before that the Messiah 



8 



114 



THEIR UNCTION. 



should be born at Bethlehem. k ' But thou, Bethlehem Ephra- 
tah. though thou be little among the thousands of Judah. yet 
out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in 
Israel." But how was this prophecy to be fulfilled? Joseph 
and Mary resided at Nazareth, a distance of sixty or seventy 
miles from the town of Bethlehem. By virtue of this decree 
of Augustus all went to be taxed, "every one to his own 
town," that is, the town to which the family had belonged. 
Joseph and Mary, being of the house and lineage of David, 
repaired to Bethlehem for this purpose, and Mary being near 
the time of her delivery, while they tarried there, i; brought 
forth her first born son." Thus, by the edict of a heathen 
prince, without infringing on Iris liberty, did God fulfil this 
prophecy. 

There is no event recorded in the word of God where so 
much is said about the purpose of God in relation to it, as the 
crucifixion of our Savior by the Jews and Gentiles. • ' For of 
a truth," say the disciples, ik against thy Holy Child Jesus, 
whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, 
with the Gentiles, and people of Israel, were gathered together 
for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined 
before to be done." The event then was as certain as it is 
certain that God is true: and yet it is certain, that the gather- 
ing together of Jews and Gentiles against the Savior was a 
voluntary gathering. 

The act of betraynient by Judas was both typified and pre- 
dicted in the Old Testament, Christ also plainly pointed out 
the act, and the person who was to commit it. kk Huve not I 
chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil ?" And yet it is 
evident that in the whole matter Judas acted with entire free- 
dom. He went unsolicited to the Chief Priests. They did not 
first tempt him by proposing to give him so much for betraying 
him into their hands; but himself suggested the matter to 
their consideration, ' 1 What will you give me, and I will deliver 
him unto you ?" The corruption was in him which rendered it 



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115 



certain, that, according to the divine purpose, he would com- 
mit the deed. Satan, it is true, is said to have entered into 
him: but Satan could do no violence to his will. All he could 
do would be to act upon his corruptions, suggest the deed and 
such things as would fix the purpose of committing it. 

I cannot forbear calling your attention to some items in the 
evangelistic record of our Savior's trial and crucifixion, har- 
monizing precisely with previous predictions. Among the 
indignities done to him all the evangelists tell us, that "they 
spit upon him;" and one evangelist tells us, that "they spit in 
his face. " This was a fulfilment of what he spake by Isaiah, 
4 4 1 hid not my face from shame and spitting. " 

Before they crucified him ' ' they gave him vinegar to drink 
mingled with gall." This was wine mingled with some bitter 
ingredient, This was for the purpose of producing insensibility. 
But ' ' when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. " 
Afterwards when he was on the cross they give him vinegar 
without gall: this he received. This was a fulfilment of what 
he had said by the inspired Psalmist : 41 They gave me also gall 
for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." 

And when the Savior hung upon the cross how unwittingly 
did the priests and people hurl at him this bitter taunt, ' 4 He 
trusted in God, let him deliver him now, if he will have him." 
This is just what he predicted they would say to him, Ui He 
trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him 
deliver him, seeing he delighted in him." 

Now the soldiers, when they had completed their cruel work 
of crucifying him, 1 4 took his garments, and made four parts, to 
every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was with- 
out seam, woven from the top throughout. They said there- 
fore among themselves, let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, 
whose it shall be." According to the law the garments of the 
criminals were the property of the executioners. By Christ's 
garments the evangelist means his outer garment. It was made 
so that it could be put on or taken off with convenience. When 



116 



THEIR UNCTION. 



working or walking, it was girt about the loins. It consisted 
of parts, and could be divided. The soldiers separated it into 
four parts (four of them being engaged in the execution) and 
each took a part. The Savior's undergarment, called his coat, 
being without seam, to divide it would have been to render it 
useless. The soldiers therefore concluded not to rend it, but 
cast lots whose it should be. And all this the evangelist says 
took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, 
"They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture 
they did cast lots. 11 

Again, we are told that "With him they crucify two thieves; 
the one on his right hand, and the other on his left." This was 
done *to show him the greater contempt. But the evangelist 
adds, 1 ' And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, And he was 
numbered with the transgressors. 11 

And again we are told, "They that passed by railed on him, 
wagging their heads." This is a precise fulfilment of what he 
had said in prophecy he would do. "I became also a reproach 
unto them, when they looked upon me they shaked their 
heads." 

According to the law, the legs of the criminals were to be 
broken, to hasten their expiration. "Then came the soldiers, 
and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was 
crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw 
that he was dead already, they break not his legs: but one of 
the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came 
there out blood and water. 11 The evangelist assures us that he 
witnessed these transactions and recorded them for the confirma- 
tion of our faith. "And he that saw it bare record, and his 
record is true: and he knoweth that he saith truth, that ye 
might believe. For these things were done, that the Scripture 
might be fulfilled, A hone of him shall not he broken. And 
again another Scripture saith, They shall look on him whom 
they pierced." And this was the more remarkable, as the sol- 
diers in omitting to break his legs violated the law. And the 



THE HOLINESS OE THE TOUCH. 



117 



unfeeling soldier who pierced his side with his spear had no 
authority for the inhuman act. 

Now all these transactions were foreknown, predestinated 
from eternity, and who is going to venture the assertion that 
the agents in them were involuntary? And who is going to 
endorse the position that God does not know the voluntary 
actions of his creatures, until they act? According to this 
position God must have a very limited knowledge of the cur- 
rent of human affairs. He is not only ignorant of how his 
creatures will act, but must also be ignorant of all the results 
of their actions. I have nothing more to say on this point. 

Your next difficulty is, that if God foresees the actions of 
rational agents, he is chargeable with all the sins they commit. 

"This must follow according to your statement, that the sons 
of Belial acted in opposition to Saul because God foresaw that 
they would do so." 

I did not make such a statement. 

"You certainly stated that their action was foreseen of 
God." 

I did state so: but the foreknowledge of evil, and the cause 
of evil are distinct things. God's foreknowledge of the actions 
of the sons of Belial had no causal influence upon their minds 
in carrying them forward in their rebellious course. 

"What did influence them?" 

They just followed out their own evil inclinations. 
4 ' But could not God have stopped them in their rebellious 
course by touching their hearts ?" 
Undoubtedly he could. 

4 4 Then by letting them follow out their own evil inclinations, 
was he not guilty of all their crimes?" 
Certainly not. 
4 'Why not?" 

He was not bound to touch their hearts. I must keep you 
in remembrance of the sovereignty of God. He just touches 
whatever hearts he chooses to touch. 



118 



THEIR UNCTION. 



' ' Oh ! the sovereignty of God, that seems to be your strong- 
hold." 

Certainly it is. If I would let that go, then all would be 
gone. I could not reason with you for a minute. 

4 4 Well I wish you would explain how, according to your 
position, God can allow sinners to go on in their evil courses 
without any impeachment of his purity. " 

To see this point clearly, we must distinguish between what 
is natural and what is criminal in actions. The relation of 
Creator and creature necessarily involves continual dependence 
on the part of the latter. ct In God we live and move and have 
our being. ,, The natural ability to perpetrate evil flows 
directly from God. He sustains the life of the assassin at the 
moment in which he is perpetrating his deeds of blood, as well 
as before the desire to commit such a deed entered into his mind. 

Sin consists in the voluntary abuse of natural power which 
springs entirely from the depravity of the agent. See, here is 
a man running with a torch in his hand to lire his neighbors 
barn. See, yonder is another man running to prevent him 
from executing his wicked purpose. The natural actions of 
these two men are the same ; but as moral, they differ very 
widely. The power imparted by God and exercised by these 
agents is precisely the same ; and the whole difference arises 
from the difference of the agents acted upon, and acting in these 
actions respectively. To use another similitude, see, here is a 
putrid carcass, and there is a rose. The rays of the sun falling 
upon them exhales putrescence from the one, and sweet 
odors from the other. The putrescence of the carcass is not in 
the sun, but in the carcass itself. And take yet another si mil 
itude. A musician touches a musical instrument, an organ if 
you choose : the keys are rusty and it makes a jarring sound. 
The fault is in the instrument, not in the musician Avho touches 
it. The musician may know that the instrument is out of 
order ; but it is not his knowledge of the fact that puts it out of 
order. That is from another cause. 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



119 



Whatever force there may be in this reasoning, it is a fact 
that God in his word has given us examples of sins committed 
according to his own preordination. 

The crucifixion of our Savior was one of the greatest sins 
ever committed. It was according to the purpose of God. Yet 
Peter charges it directly uopn the J ews, ' ' Him, being delivered 
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have 
taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." The 
purpose of God was not their motive in committing this sin, 
for they were ignorant of it, and were, therefore, moved to it by 
their own depravity. The sin was their own, but God over- 
ruled it for the accomplishment of his own wise and holy 
purpose. 

On the same principle the sin. of Judas in betraying Christ 
was his own. His own conscience told him it was his own, 
and he takes it directly upon himself. k ' I have sinned in 
that I have betrayed the innocent blood." 

Permit me to give you a few more examples of the same 
import. The case of Samson affords us an example. "And 
Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath 
of the daughters of the Philistines." He entreated his father 
and mother to get her for him to wife. This movement in 
Samson was certainly very wrong, especially as the Lord had 
forbidden it to the Israelites, for the purpose of keeping them 
separate from idolaters. His father and mother remonstrated 
with him against the matter, 4 ' Is there never a woman among 
the daughters of thy brethren, or among my people that thou 
goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? 1 ' But 
Samson insisted, "Get her for me ; for she pleaseth me well." 
His parents consented because they saw that he was fully deter 
mined on the matter: but they knew not that it was of 
the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the Phillistines. " 
God just left Samson to follow his own inclinations, intending, 
in his infinite wisdom, to overrule his misconduct for the good 
of Israel. 



120 



THEIR UNCTION. 



We have another example in the case of Ahab. He spared 
the life of Benhadad and entered into a sinful alliance with 
him, after he had overcome him in battle, and on account of 
this, the Lord purposed to destroy him by the very man whom 
he had thus wickedly spared. How did the Lord accomplish 
this purpose % Why, by sending forth a lying spirit into the 
mouth of Ahab's prophets. What was the lie ? That he should 
have entire success in going up to Ramoth-gilead to battle 
against Benhadad. God gave Ahab clear warning as to what 
would be the result, by inspiring his prophet Micaiah to declare 
it unto him: and had Ahab not hated the truth and loved false- 
hood, he would have hearkened to the voice of Micaiah, and 
not have gone up to Ramoth-gilead; but he believed his own 
lying prophets, and went up to Ramoth-gilead, and was slain 
there according to the purpose of the Lord. The Lord did not 
put this lie into the mouths of these prophets, they were wicked 
prophets, the lie was in their hearts, and the Lord allowed 
them to utter it. 

We have another example in the case of David numbering 
the people. The best of men sometimes, through the tempta- 
tions of Satan, are induced to act very foolishly. David was 
induced to this measure through a spirit of pride, the very 
substance of spiritual wickedness. Joab, although he had no 
real piety, yet clearly perceived that the purpose of David 
sprang from ostentatious vanity, and was inconsistent with his 
character and interests; and if persevered in would be the 
cause of trespass in Israel. He, therefore, with great reason, 
remonstrated with the king on the impropriety of his course: 
and David would have showed wisdom had he yielded to his 
remonstrance. Yet the king's words prevailed. The edict was 
fulfilled; "And Joab gave up the number of the people unto 
the king." "And David's heart smote him after that he had 
numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have 
sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O 
Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant ; for 1 have done 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



121 



very foolishly." Yet this was done by the ordering of the 
Lord : 1 4 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against 
Israel," and he purposed to punish them for their transgres- 
sions; and to effect this purpose "he moved David against 
them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah." What we are to 
understand by this is, that God withheld from David every 
restraint internal and external, and left him to carry out his 
own ostentatious inclination. 

We have another example in the case of Rehoboam, the son 
of Solomon. 1 ' And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because 
his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which 
had appeared unto him." The last clause is added as an 
aggravation of his sin, that he should continue in it, when the 
Lord had condescended to appear to him so graciously : ' k And 
had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not 
go after other gods." This is stated as a higher aggravation 
of his sin, that it was against the express command of God. 
"Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is 
done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant, and my 
statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the 
kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant," meaning* 
Jeroboam, who was not only one of his subjects, but an officer 
under him. After this the prophet Ahijah, the Shilonite, met 
Jeroboam and said unto him, " Thus saith the Lord, the God of 
Israel, Behold I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solo- 
mon, and will give ten tribes to thee." After the death of 
Solomon the people met together to make Rehoboam, his son, 
king. They promised obedience to him on the condition that 
he would deal with them in a more lenient manner than his 
father had done. ••Thy father made oar yoke grievous : now, 
therefore, make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his 
heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve 
thee." On this decision depended his establishment in the 
kingdom. He first consulted the old men who had been his 
father's cabinet, and were men of great wisdom, as is evident 



122 



THEIR UNCTION. 



from the prudent advice they gave him : "If thou wilt be a 
servant unto this people* this day, and wilt serve them, .... and 
speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for- 
ever." But this good counsel of the 'old men did not suit the 
haughty spirit of Rehoboam, and he turned away from them, 
"And consulted with the young men that were "grown up with 
him, and which stood before him." That is, they were the com- 
panions of his youth, and now stood before him as |his privy coun- 
cil. jThese young men, accommodating themselves to his inclina- 
tions, gave him bad advice — an advice directly opposite to that 
of the old men. •* Thus shalt thou speak unto this people .... 
My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins .... my 
father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you 
with scorpions. " The result was ten of the tribes revolted. This 
revolt was wrong, although it was according to the purpose of 
the Lord. The Lord willed the defection of the people, and he 
suffered the counsellors of Rehoboam to give him the advice 
they did, and gave him up to the folly of his own heart to take 
it, that, in the language of the inspired penman, "he might 
perform his saying, which the Lord spake by Ahijah, the 
Shilonite, unto Jeroboam, the son of Xebat." 

But it is not necessary to weary you with so many examples: 
for if it can be shown that one single action was according to 
the foreordination of God, then it will follow that all sinful 
actions were according to the same foreordination: and the 
language of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is true, kk The 
decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel 
of his will, whereby for his own glory he hath foreordained 
whatsoever comes to pass." We must, however, guard against 
the impious notion, that a being, an essential character of whose 
nature is holiness, can infuse into the heart of the sinner any 
positive principle of evil, independent of his own natural inclina- 
tion and will. It is the height of absurdity to suppose that 
God could produce what was infinitely opposite to his own 
blessed nature. A nature perfectly holy can infuse nothing 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



123 



but what is holy. So perfect is his nature, and so perfect must 
be his love to himself, as the supreme good, that it is as 
impossible for him to produce what is contrary to his nature, 
as it is for him not be God. All his determinations, all his 
desires, all his conduct are invariably and necessarily holy. The 
exercise of his wisdom has a habitual regard to holiness ; the 
exertions of his power are regulated by the same glorious per- 
fection. ' 4 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted 
of God : for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth 
he any man." 4 4 As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no 
pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn 
from his way and live. 1 ' 

4 4 What then is the agency of God in bringing to pass the 
wicked actions of men ?" 

It will aid us in our conceptions of this point to notice a 
distinction in the decrees that is used by the best Calvinistic 
writers who have come under my notice — a distinction of 
the decrees into positive and permissive. His positive decree 
relates to whatever is morally good. His permissive decree 
to whatever is morally evil. All good he brings to pass posi- 
tively : that is, he produces it by direct agency. All evil 
he permits ; that is, he does not produce, but hinders it not 
from coming to pass. As for example, by a positive decree 
God brought to pass the incarnation of his Son ; by a permissive 
decree he brought to pass his crucifixion. God was angry at 
the Jews for their proceedings against Christ, yet he permitted 
them ; that is, he did not restrain them from carrying out their 
malicious purposes. Hence. God tells us in his holy word that 
he is the creator of good and evil. 44 I form the light, and 
create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all 
these things." By light here we are to understand all that is 
true, holy, good, or happy in the universe. By evil we under- 
stand all sin and misery that is in the world. God is the 
creator of both. 

k 4 What ! the creator of evil* " 



124 



THEIR UNCTION. 



Yes. but by a different kind of agency from that by which he 
creates the light. He forms light by a positive influence, 
pouring radiance around. He creates darkness by withholding 
that radiance. So then all purity flows from God by a positive 
influence, as light from the sun. Evil is the result of the 
withdrawment of his influence, as darkness is the result of the 
absence of the sun. So then God is not the anther of sin, any 
more than the sun is the source of darkness, although his 
absence occasions that darkness. 

This permissive decree must be carefully distinguished from 
a grant or a license to sin. To illustrate what I mean, let me 
give you the following similitude. You have observed that in 
our community some of our farmers have put up around their 
farms this notice, k ' No trespass on these premises by hunters. " 
A gang of hunters comes to a farm having such notices set up; 
but regardless of them, the}' spread over the farm in search of 
game. The farmer observes them but he does not hinder them, 
that is. he permits them to hunt on his farm; but they have 
violated the law and will be punished for their transgression. 
Xow suppose these hunters had obtained from the farmer a 
grant or a license to hunt on his farm, then their hunting 
would be no transgression of the law. and they could not be 
punished. Now God has warned all men against the violation 
of his law. but if. regardless of his warning, men run on in 
violating his law. he may without charge of fault allow, that is, 
permit them to go on; but in this case their action is a trans- 
gression of law. and they will be punished. 

Take another illustration. 

A son says to his father. "Father. I am going to the 
theatre." 

" No, my son," replies the father, '- you cannot go to the 
theatre. The theatre is the devil's school-house, and you cannot 
go to such a school." 

"But. father. I will go to the theatre," replies the son; and 
against all the remonstrance of the father the son holds his 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



125 



determination to go to the theatre. The father finally wearied 
out with his son's obstinacy, says to him, 

"•If you will go to the theatre, go, but remember you do 
not go with your father's approbation. " 

So God often permits things which so far from commanding 
he forbids. As Paul says in reference to the heathen, and 
their abominations, "Even as they did not like to retain God in 
their knowledge, God gave them over .. . to do those things which 
are not convenient. " That is, he permitted them to follow out 
their own evil inclinations. But God, in permitting sinners to 
run contrary to his will, holds them directly under his own 
control. Hence you will observe that our similitude is only a 
partial illustration of the point. The father in permitting his 
son to go to the theatre has no more control over him. But as 
the Westminster Assembly observe, ki The Almighty power, 
unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God, so far 
manifest themselves in his providence, that it extendeth itself 
ever to the first fall, and all other sins of angels and men, and that 
not by a bare permission, but such as hath joined with it a 
most wise and powerful bounding, and otherwise ordering and 
governing of them, in a manifold dispensation, to his own holy 
ends." 

We have a very clear illustration of this point in the com- 
mission which God gave to the king of Assyria to punish the 
people of Israel for their hypocrisy. 44 O Assyrian, the rod of 
mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I 
will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the 
people of my wrath will I give him a charge." The meaning 
plainly is that the king of Assyria was an instrument in the 
hands of the Lord for expressing his indignation against a sin- 
ful people. 44 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his 
heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off 
nations not a few/ 1 He was not aware that he was but an 
instrument in the hand of the Lord for accomplishing his pur- 
poses. Such a design does not enter into his plan. He has a 



126 



THEIR UNCTION. 



plan of his own which he designs to accomplish, "to cut off 
nations not a few." He imagined that he was his own master, 
and acted by his own power, and according to his own will, 
and was not under the direction of another. His purpose was, 
not to correct the Jewish people, but utterly to destroy them; 
and not them only, but many other nations, and so to establish 
a universal monarchy. "For he saith, By the strength of 
my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom ; for I am prudent. " 
God reproved him for his arrogance in a very forcible simili- 
tude. ' 1 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth there- 
with \ or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it ? " 
He here reminds the haughty king that he had no more power in 
himself than the axe to fell the forest, unless wielded by the 
dexterity and power of the woodsman: that it was a very ridicu- 
lous thing for him to take that to himself which belonged to the 
Lord in whose hand he was but an instrument, and on whom as 
an instrument he depended, as to motion, power, and operation, 
as the axe in the hands of the person who makes use of it, or 
the saw in the hand of him who moves it to and fro to cut the 
timber in pieces. No greater absurdity can be supposed than 
that which the Holy Spirit supposeth in this similitude. As if 
•the tool in the hand of the workman should exalt itself against 
him, and insist that it had all the share in the action, as if it 
was a rational agent. Yet the king of Assyria was guilty of a 
far greater absurdity in his vain boasting; for he was far more 
dependent upon God, and far more inferior to him than the axe 
or the saw to him that useth them. Yet this Assyrian acted 
with entire freedom. He was under no constraint. He formed 
and executed his plans according to his own good pleasure. By 
the sufferance of God he formed his own schemes, but God 
overruled them to the furtherance of his own purposes. The 
fact that he was under the direction of God did not destroy the 
criminality of his actions. His plans were evil, he meant not 
so ; and if God bring good out of them, it was not his intention : 
and he must be judged by his intentions and not by the us* 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



127 



God makes of his plans. From this example it is plain that 
wicked men are entirely under the direction of God : that they 
shall be successful in their schemes so far as they promote his 
ends, and no further. ' 1 The wrath of man shall praise him, 
and the remainder he will restrain. " 

By the wrath of man we are to understand all that the 
furiousness of human passions can effect ; and although it 
worketh not the righteousness of God, it is nevertheless over- 
ruled to minister to his praise. God just gives wicked men 
scope to work so far as it answers his good purpose, and is 
subordinate to his praise, and the good of his people. This is 
strikingly illustrated in the case of Sennacherib who, when he 
had fulfilled his commission against a "hyprocritical nation," 
was suddenly and effectually restrained from proceeding any 
further. Without exception evil men, while undesignedly 
accomplishing the divine purposes, are unconsciously digging 
their own graves. 

God often accomplishes his purpose by restraining wicked 
mpn from doing what their natural passions would incline 
them to do. After the Jews had entered into the promised 
land, it was required of them that there should be a gathering 
together of all the males from all their coasts to worship at one 
altar every year. On these occasions their land would be left 
quite defenseless, there being only women and children, and old 
persons left at home. To this arrangement an objection would 
very naturally arise that lawless predatory bands might take 
advantage of these occasions to plunder their goodly land. 
Moses sets them at rest on this point by assuring them that the 
covetous desires of their heathen neighbors should be restrained. 
4 'Neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up 
to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year." Hence 
year after year, and age after age, the males did go up to 
Jerusalem with their offerings as directed ; and there is not an 
instance on record throughout their whole history, of their land 
being invaded on these occcasions. 



128 



THEIR UNCTION. 



Another example of this kind we have in Sarah and Abraham, 
when they sojourned in Gerar, a capital city of the Philistines. 
"Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 1 ' He was 
attracted with her beauty, and took her for the purpose of making 
her his wife. In this he was not aware of doing what was wrong ; 
for he had understood from their own mouths that they were 
brother and sister. kk Said he not unto me. She is my sister? 
and she, even she herself said. He is my brother : in the integ- 
rity of my heart, and innocency of my hands have I done this. 
And God said unto him, in a dream. Yea, I know that thou didst 
this in the integrity of thy heart ; for I also withheld thee from 
sinning against me : therefore suffered I thee not to touch her." 

Again God accomplishes his purpose by softening the hearts 
of wicked men to do according to his will. We have a remark- 
able example of this in the edict which Gyrus, king of Persia, 
issued, for the liberation of the Jews, and the rebuilding of the 
temple. He was a pagan and a wicked man, yet inspired by the 
Lord, he used the following remarkable language: k -The Lord 
God of heaven hath gi ven me all the kingdoms of the earth ; and 
he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is 
in Judah. Who is there among you all of his people \ his God 
be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, 
and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) 
which is in Jerusalem/' And at a later period, how was the 
heart of Ezra affected when he found the heart of Artaxerxes 
so freely, disposed to favor his labors in beautifying the temple. 
tk Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such 
a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the 
Lord which is in Jerusalem." 

I may not leave this point without pointing you to Joseph 
who was sold as a slave into Egypt. But as soon as he began 
to serve, his master admired him, and instead of a slave made 
him a ruler. Again a strict adherence to duty made him the 
victim of malice and revenge, and he is cast into prison : but 
the Lord showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



129 



of the keeper of the prison ; and instead of being a prisoner, he 
is made the guardian of the prisoners. 

I have another truth to state here which, although it seems 
somewhat startling, is nevertheless clearly revealed. God often 
accomplishes his purposes hy hardening the hearts of sinners. 
We have an example to this import in Sihon, king of Hesh- 
bon. Moses sent messengers to him, ''with words of peace, 
saying, Let me pass through thy land." It was doubtless the 
duty of Sihon to have complied with this request ; and had he 
complied with it, would doubtless have been spared. But the 
Lord gave him over to his own pertinacious petulance, which 
was bent on violent purposes, from which God did not divert 
him, because he intended to destroy him. "The Lord thy 
God,'" says Moses to Israel, "hardened his spirit, and made his 
heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand as 
appeareth this day." Thus the request of Moses served to 
discover the wickedness of Sihon, and to illustrate the justice 
of God in his destruction. Thus when nations or individuals 
are ripe for destruction, the Lord in awful judgment gives 
them up to final and total obduracy. Their desperate wicked- 
ness both occasions their ruin, and manifests God's right- 
eousness. Then the boldest workers of iniquity are stopped in 
their mad career, and tremble and perish as examples to 
survivors. 

Pharaoh is an example pertinent to our point. Moses said 
unto him by the commandment of the Lord, ' ' Let my people 
go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness." 
It was undoubtedly the duty of Pharaoh to have complied 
with this request. And yet at the very same time the Lord 
said unto Moses, "I will harden his heart that he shall not 
let the people go." And when the children of Israel 
departed, Pharaoh, notwithstanding all the signs that had 
been wrought, pursued after them to the Red Sea, (which 
was his sin,) yet the Lord had said unto Moses, "I will harden 
Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them. " For it was 



9 



130 



THEIR UNCTION. 



the purpose of the Lord to drown him and his hosts in the 
Red Sea. 
"O sir—" 

I supposed that this declaration would fret your mind ; but 
we ourselves are accustomed to use similar language without 
any purpose of ascribing to God anything incompatible with his 
moral perfections. We have seen a wicked man go on in his 
evil course against the advices and warnings and remonstrances 
of his friends, and we say, kt It does seem as if the Lord had 
given him up to entire stupefaction, that he might run on to 
ruin ; " and we say this without thinking we are imputing to 
God anything capricious. Whatever may be our love for the 
party, we assent, believing that God has wise reasons for doing 
what he does. 

The thought of God's determining to destroy a person or a 
people is very solemn. We feel the subject too profound for 
our comprehension. And well we may, for even an inspired 
apostle when discoursing on God's rejection of the Jewish 
nation found himself lost in his subject ; and although he took 
a glance of the merciful aspect which this awful event wore 
towards the Gentiles, and traces some great and wise designs 
that should be answered by it ; yet he feels himself standing on 
the brink of an unfathomable abyss, and exclaims, 1 ' O the 
depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! 
How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding 
out!" 

But I must call your attention particularly to this hardening 
of Pharaoh's heart. I have already stated that God never 
communicated hardness to the heart of any man, by a positive 
act. How then comes it to be ascribed unto God? The 
Scriptures clearly teach, and universal observation confirms 
their teaching, that light, that privileges and mercies and 
corrections, sent in the course of divine Providence for the 
instruction and reformation of mankind, if they do not soften 
and bring to repentance, if they do not produce the sanctification 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 131 

I 

of the heart, inva/riably render it more inflexible to the indenta- 
tions, more blind to the comeliness of supernatural truth. And 
God has so planned and so controls the universal scheme of 
things, both in the moral and natural world, that the ungodly 
following only the machinations of their own corrupt hearts 
shall inevitably delude and ruin themselves. This approach to 
ruin is slow or rapid, according to the natural tendency of their 
minds, combined with the circumstances in which a sovereign 
and holy providence has placed them. 

This hardness of heart has its foundation in the original 
corruption of our nature which we inherit from our first parents. 

However much has been said about the innocence of the 
young, the word of God and correct observation is at variance 
with such a representation. Born in sin and brought forth in 
iniquity, says the word of God, and common observation corrob- 
orates this truth by pointing us to the early disinclination of 
children to the duties of religion. It is this that requires in the 
education of children, restraint, government, and discipline to 
be added to instruction. And how many, notwithstanding all 
the restraints of parental authority, all the instructions of 
enlightened and affectionate parents, and all the force of pious 
example, go astray and follow the natural bias of a corrupt 
heart. This is the basis of that important doctrine taught by 
our Savior, the radical principle of the divine life, t4 Ye must 
be born again." 

This native depravity, although laying the foundation for all 
corruptions which may be added by time, habit, and temptations 
in the most depraved of mankind ; yet will be easily understood 
not to be in itself that hardness of heart which places the obdurate 
sinner beyond the reach of repentance, and is truly a judicial 
infliction by God for his obstinacy in his crimes. The corruption 
of nature, though it is to be deplored, does not render repentance 
impossible. The gospel wears an aspect of mercy towards 
sinners. There is deliverance for them from the curse of the 
law through him who was made a curse for us. Christ ha&. 



132 



THEIR UNCTION. 



come a light into the world "that whosoever believeth in him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life. 11 But if, like the 
barren fig tree, we stand from year to year under the culture of 
the gospel, and bear no fruit, we may expect to hear the 
sentence, "Cut it down." 

This intimates to us in the second place, that natural depravity 
acquires a most dangerous increase by our own actual sins. 
Habit is a second nature, and is indeed stronger than the first. 
The first nature is more pliable, and more easily takes the shape 
of the master's impress ; but this second nature — this nature of 
our own making is continually strengthening against alteration. 
Habit confirms the corrupt principle from which all positive 
transgressions of the law of God proceed. Every indulgence of 
impure passions, every repetition of a sinful act strengthens its 
root and strikes it deeper into the heart, Conscience which in 
the beginning might have been tender, and easily impressed 
with the fear of God, assumes by degrees a brow of brass, and 
sets at defiance the threatenings of the divine law. Each day 
renders the repentance and the return of the sinner to God 
more uncertain and more difficult. The mercies and judgments 
of each succeeding year come in the same freshness and vigor 
from the hand of God, as well qualified as those that preceded 
them to arrest attention, and impress the heart; but they 
find in each procrastinating man a melancholy change ; his 
tenderness of conscience is gone — he looks unmoved on that 
which once filled him with terror, and appeals, which in the 
warmth of youthful feelings would have melted him into tears, 
now find him cold and dry. His susceptibility of impression is 
gone — his heart has rubbed against the world till it has become 
hard as a stone ; and he, who has so often struggled successfully 
against impressions, and put serious thoughts far from him, now 
exercises a terrific mastery over conscience, and a melancholy 
facility in quenching the Spirit of God. Even the natural 
seriousness with which he formerly engaged in the outward 
forms of religion has left him. Prayer is a burden ; and oh. 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



133 



what a weariness are his Sabbaths ! the spirit of dissatisfaction 
with himself is increasing, the sorrows of the world are multi- 
plying around him, and each heavy day removes another and 
another of his former supports, and joys ; the snows of age are 
falling — its infirmities and its pains are assembling fast — 
mercies offered and despised are heaping up against his salva- 
tion a fearful odds, and over and around his soul, unprepared 
for eternity, are closing in the clouds and darkness of eternal 
night. This alarming truth is attested by universal experience ; 
it is repeated in the instructions and reflections of all moral 
writers ; and the sacred Scriptures give full admonition and 
warning on the subject. 4 'To-day," says the inspired Psalmist, 
4 'if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart." And an 
inspired apostle gives the following most solemn counsel : ' ' But 
exhort one another daily, while it is called To-day ; lest any of 
you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Thus from 
step to step, the sinner goes by degrees until he comes to the 
bottom of the precipice. This brings us to the 

Third, and highest degree of depravity, distinct from the two 
preceding, although based on them. It is the practice of trans- 
gression, practiced to the highest degree of persistency, when 
God in righteous judgment for the abuse of past mercies 
abandons the sinner to his follies — to the uncontrolled motions 
of his own iniquitous desires, without any of those restraints and 
counsels, which in his holy word he denominates, the strivings 
of the Spirit. Now the means of God's appointment for the 
restoration of mankind from the death of sin become entirely 
inoperative. He not only does not love God and divine things, 
but regards them with rancorous repugnance. The whole drift 
of his soul is toward sinful indulgences. Thus given up in 
divine providence to the power of those temptations which he 
loves and pursues with avidity, the determined course of nature 
renders his perdition sure and infallible. This is the state to 
which our Savior refers when he quotes the prediction of Isaiah 
in reference to the hardness of heart and blindness of mind of 



134 



THEIR UNCTION. 



the bulk of the Jewish nation: "Therefore they could not 
believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their 
eyes, and hardened their heart ; that they should not see with 
their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, and be converted, 
and I should heal them. " What else does this mean, but that 
as they had shut their eyes and hardened their own hearts, so 
God would give up many of them to that judicial blindness 
which would render cheir conversion and salvation impossible. 

This is the wise order of heaven to deter sinners from delay- 
ing their repentance. Corrupt nature by indulgence envelops 
the whole capacity of the mind, and weaves itself into its very 
essence : a sense of moral good and evil becomes almost entirely 
extinct, conscience is seared as with a hot iron : the heart is so 
hardened that the arrows of the Almighty cannot pierce it, 
Sinners are now in the condition which the Scriptures most 
emphatically denominate "Vessels of wrath fitted to destruc- 
tion. " They have filled up the measure of their sins, and the 
Almighty God swears in his wrath that they shall not enter 
into his rest. Now there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 
but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, 
which shall devour the adversaries. Almighty God weary 
with bearing with the sins of men delivers them over to a 
a reprobate mind, and like Pharaoh, they survive only as 
monuments of wrath ; and like Esau they cannot find a place of 
repentance, although they seek it caref ully with tears ; and like 
the foolish virgins, they come knocking, but the door of mercy 
is forever shut. 

We cannot, indeed, enter into the heart of our fellow man, 
and know with certainty that he is in this state of judicial 
blindness, yet we do know from the clear statements of God's 
word that there are sinners in this unhappy case, the conse- 
quence of their own presumptuous folly. 

I am now prepared to show the agency of God in this hard- 
ening process. 

First, he exerts a negative influence, which consists in 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



135 



withholding from the agents that operation of his Spirit which 
would prevent their sinning. Of this we have an example in 
the children of Israel. "And Moses called unto all Israel, and 
said unto them, Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your 
eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his 
servants, and unto all his land; the great temptations which 
thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: yet 
the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to 
see, and ears to hear, unto this day." In spiritual things the 
understanding heart and the seeing eye and the hearing ear are 
from the Lord; the special gifts of his grace. The Israelites 
enjoyed the means of grace, but they had neither heart to 
perceive, nor ears to hear, nor eyes to see. And why? 
Undoubtedly, because the Lord did not give them the under- 
standing heart and the seeing eye and the hearing ear. Now 
observe, God did not put this hardness into their heart, this 
blindness into their eyes, this deafness into their ears; but 
simply did not communicate that illumination of his grace that 
would soften their hearts, enlighten their eyes, and open their 
ears. Darkness and cold are not in the sun, but when the sun 
retires from our horizon, both darkness and cold follow. So 
when God withdraws the operations of his Spirit from an 
individual or from a people on account of their abuse of his 
mercies, what else can follow but increasing blindness of mind 
and augmented hardness of heart, the sure presage of 
approaching ruin. Hence, hear the Lord's direction to the 
prophet Hosea concerning Israel, ''Ephraim is joined to idols: 
let him alone." Because they were incurably devoted to idols, 
and would not listen to the warnings of the prophet, he is 
therefore directed to let them alone. And then what follows? 
They receive no more warning, feel no more convictions, are 
visited with no more corrections, their conscience lies dormant; 
and the Spirit of God strives no more with them. Again, the 
Lord, recounting the favors he had shown to Israel, says, kt But 
my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would 



136 



THEIR UNCTION. 



none of me, so I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: 
and they walked in their own counsels. " Israel as a nation 
was the people of God by profession, covenant, and the 
strongest obligations. The goodness which the Lord had shown 
them was an aggravation of their sin, in expecting more advan- 
tage from their dumb idols than from him; and therefore, they 
were left to be judicially deceived, hardened, and ruined, as 
the just punishment of their sins. They were a picture of those 
wretched souls under the awful sentence of judicial blindness, 
and everlasting barrenness; whose salvation is at lengthp laced, 
by their own crimes, and the righteous and holy purpose of 
God, beyond the appointed limits of divine mercies. 

Second, but the agency of God in this hardening process in 
bold sinners is positive as ivell as negative. By his negative 
agency he simply does not grant what he is not bound to grant; 
by his positive agency he recalls what he has granted. Let it 
be understood that, from a perfectly upright creature, God 
never recalls the strength given it for the perpetual discharge 
of its duties. But with fallen creatures he follows a different 
course. At his pleasure he not only gives or withdraws, but 
also continues and revokes blessings granted. From believers 
he never absolutely withdraws his favors, but in measure for 
their trial and correction. In reference to impenitent sinners 
who abuse his gifts he recalls them in judgment. Hence, says 
our Savior, k L Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he 
shall have more abundance : but whosoever hath not, from him 
shall by taken away even that he hath. " The meaning of this 
is, that the man, who has any measure of grace wrought in 
him, shall, in the effectual use of the means of grace, obtain 
more grace; for one special gift of God to his people is an 
earnest of others: he who has grace shall receive further com- 
munications of grace, till he has grace in great abundance. 
"But whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even 
that he hath." It is supposed that they who have no grace 
may attain to certain advantages, as the offers of grace that are 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 137 

made to them, the external gifts of the Spirit, the gospel of 
the kingdom of God, and its ministry; but refusing to improve 
these advantages, they provoke the Lord to recall them, and 
leave them under the power of strong delusions to their final 
ruin. 

And consider, also, that the Lord, in inflicting this right- 
eous punishment on the obstinately impenitent, may, in entire 
consistency with his justice, not only recall the favors he has 
bestowed upon them, but also order the train of events in his 
providence that they shall be thrown in the way of stronger 
temptations — shall be led into positions in which their carnal 
propensities, being more wantonly gratified, shall be greatly 
confirmed — the continual commotion of their desires roused by 
a continual consecution of temptations, till reflection is sus- 
pended and their fatal blindness augmented. The company, 
also, into which they may be led shall seduce them more and 
more; such views shall be continually exhibited to their per- 
verted understandings in the contingencies of the world, in the 
precedents and colloquies of other sinners, as shall encourage 
and radicate those delusive discussions by which they delight to 
deceive themselves. 

"I do not perceive how you will harmonize this representa- 
tion with the statement of the apostle James, k Let no man say 
when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be 
tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. ' " 

You will be aided in your conception of the matter by read- 
ing the next two verses, ' 4 But every man is tempted, when he 
is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust 
hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, 
bringeth forth death. " God may be tempted by evil men by 
evil things, as the Israelites tempted him at Massah and 
Meribah — tried his patience and his power by their murmuring, 
distrust, and unbelief, but he cannot be tempted with evil; that 
is, by anything sinful in heart and conduct; for he is absolutely; 
pure; neither, in this sense, does he tempt any man, by putting 



138 



THEIR UNCTION. 



evil into his heart, or suggesting it to his thoughts, or necessi- 
tating to the commission of it. It is natural for sinners to put 
the blame of their sins away from themselves. Eve laid the 
blame of her sin on the devil. • • The serpent beguiled me, and 
I did eat." Adam laid the blame of his sin on God himself, 
tk The woman whom thou gavest to be with me." Evil men 
say. --The corruptions thou hast implanted within me." God 
never implanted evil in any heart. • - But every man is tempted, 
when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." Eve 
could have approached the forbidden tree with safety, if she 
had not entered into a colloquy with the devil. The wedge of 
gold and the Babylonish garment could have had no influence 
upon Achan. if he had not had within him a covetous disposi- 
tion. The objects of temptation could have no influence upon 
us. if our hearts were not corrupt. 

How did sin get into the universe \ I cannot answer that 
question. The Creator of all things, being a being of absolute 
perfection, of his perfection all things must have participated, 
and intelligent beings must have received a high degree of 
excellence from this inexhaustible fountain of all perfection. 
Therefore, there must have been a period when there was no 
sin in the universe. To account for the introduction of moral 
evil, various theories have been assumed. But I shall only 
notice one. that there is in all intelligent creatures a tendency 
to moral defection, which requires the continual energy of 
divine influence to counteract its effects: and thrt. consequently, 
nothing more was necessary to the introduction of moral evil 
than a sovereign withdrawment of the divine aid from the 
creature. This hypothesis cannot be entertained. If God 
created man under his holy law, requiring of him perfect 
obedience to that law. on pain of forfeiting his pleasure, he 
must, on the principle of equity, communicate to him such 
powers and inclinations as would render him entirely capable of 
rendering that obedience which was required. But if there is 
a constant tendency in his nature to moral defection, it must 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



139 



arise from some principle in his constitution: and if it be a 
principle in his constitution, it must have been implanted there 
by God. Now if God created man with an irresistible propen- 
sity to violate his law, man's violation of his law could not be 
imputed to man himself, but to God. This is the inevitable 
conclusion from the above hypothesis. It is utterly at variance 
with the Scripture assertion, that God created man in his own 
image after his own likeness. As God is a Spirit, this likeness 
to God could not consist in bodily shape, and must be under- 
stood of the rational soul. As God pronounced every thing 
that he had made "very good" and especially man created in 
his own likeness, a tendency to corruption in the original 
disposition of man would suppose him to be formed unholy, 
which would not at all harmonize with his being created in the 
image of God. The account then warrants us to conclude that 
God gave man faculties every way capable of performing his 
commandments, implanted in his heart affections, having a 
habitual tendency to what was good, and provided inducements 
adapted to preserve him in the course marked out by infinite 
wisdom. Man being thus made perfectly holy was capable of 
standing; but not being immutable, his powers were capable of 
being perverted. 

k 1 Why created mutable ? " 

Because immutability would have constituted him an inde- 
pendent deity. 

"But could not God have confirmed man in a state of 
holiness ? " 

God having created man with full ability to obey all his 
commandments was under no obligation to confirm him in a 
state of happiness : besides, this would have been entirely 
inconsistent with a state of probation, and that voluntary 
obedience which man was to render unto God. 

"But why," I ask, "if God abhors all sin, did he permit 
the temptation?" 

I cannot answer your question; but I may observe that had 



THEIK UNCTION. 



Satan been excluded from Paradise, no opportunity apparently 
would have occurred for man to prove his decided attachment 
to God. Besides, if every temptation had been excluded, 
nothing 1 like a state of probation could have existed. 
t4 I would like to know — " 

You need not push your inquiries on this point any further; 
for if we could satisfactorily set forth the manner in which sin 
was introduced into the minds of our first parents, we might 
still be asked, how did angels fall from their original rectitude ? 
The word of God tells us that sin exists, but it is entirely silent 
on the way in which it came to exist. All beyond what the 
Scriptures teach us is but ingenious conjecture, and lays no 
foundation for faith. It becomes us to draw back our intrusive 
thoughts from things too high for us to comprehend. We 
have sufficient evidence from the Scriptures, and the essential 
attributes of God, to warrant the conclusion that moral evil 
sprung entirely from the creature, and that he must be answer- 
able for his rebellion, and God will be just in punishing 
transgression. 

If we inquire why God permitted moral evil, we must 
remember that he is a sovereign of infinite wisdom and good- 
ness, who hath created all things for the promotion of his own 
glory. 

t4 I do not see how God could promote his glory by such an 
abominable thing." 

You have only to throw a glance at the great plan of salva- 
tion by Jesus Christ, to have your inquiry answered. Here 
you have a more full exhibition of the divine perfections than 
could have been made without the entrance of sin. 

Take the perfections of compassion, grace, and mercy. In 
the face of nature these perfections do not shine. Compassion 
supposes objects of pity, which could not have been, had sin 
not entered; for if sin had not entered, misery would have been 
unknown, and God never could have been seen as a God full 
of compassion. Grace signifies unmerited love — love exercised 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



141 



towards creatures who deserve hatred, which could only 
have respect to creatures under the consequences of sin: there- 
fore, if sin had never existed in any creature, God could never 
have exercised grace; for all creatures in the state in which 
God created them are worthy of his care. Mercy has respect 
to beings in a state of misery, which state no creatures could 
be in only through sin. It has respect, more immediately, to 
the means of deliverance from sin. Compassion pities and 
spares the sinner, grace loves him, and mercy saves him. In 
various other characters, is sin the occasion of God's mani- 
festing himself to his intelligent creatures, such as in those of 
patience, long-suffering, in none of which characters could he 
have been exhibited except for the existence of sin. Yes, in 
that human face divine, even when marred with grief, and 
lacerated with thorns, and foul with weeping, and pale with 
death, there is reflected more of the divine glory, than in the 
sun when shining in his strength. But in the plan of salvation 
through Jesus Christ, we have not only a more extensive devel- 
opment of the divine perfections, but we have also a more 
striking development of these perfections. Though sin had 
never entered, God could have been known as good, holy, just, 
and wise. But sin is the occasion of the exhibition of these 
perfections in the most striking manner. Here it appears that 
such and such attributes not only belong to God, but that they 
are in him in the highest degree. Look at yonder cross; it 
may seem a strange announcement, because sin ' has darkened 
our minds; but all the developments which God has given of 
his character grow dim beside it. 

Is goodness an attribute of God? The earth is full of it. 
We see it in the fragrance that regales our senses, in the beauty 
which charms our eye. In short, God has shown his goodness 
to man in a great variety of forms all the world over; but will 
he give his Son to die for man ?. The cross informs us of the 
issue. kt God spared not his own Son. 1 ' God could not have 
given a greater display of his goodness, than in the gift of his 



142 



THEIR UNCTION. 



Son. But had sin not entered, there would have been no place 
for such a wonderful gift. 

Had sin never entered, the holiness of God would have 
appeared in the constitution of the moral part of creation, and 
in the laws established for its government; but surely it could 
not have been seen in that effulgence in which it appears from 
the cross of Christ. Here sin is to be seen as that deep stain 
which could not be washed out with a less costly purgative 
than the blood of God's eternal Son. But had sin not entered, 
this high display of God's hatred of it could not have been 
given. 

But again, justice is an attribute of God, and he could have 
been clearly seen in this character in the establishing of the 
laws for the regulation of the universe, and in the exercise of 
these laws in the constant government of all things, if sin had 
never existed. But go to the cross of Christ, and there, on his 
agitated bosom, you read more clearly than you can read any- 
where else, God ki will by no means clear the guilty." But 
had sin not entered, this high display of justice could not have 
been given. 

The wisdom of God is demonstrated in the harmonious move- 
ments of a thousand shining worlds; but it belongs to the 
mysterious developments of Calvary to unfold the manifold 
wisdom of God — the harmonious conjunction of the seemingly 
inharmonious character — a just God and a Savior. No mortal 
mind, no angelic intellect could have constructed a scheme of 
mercy upon the principle of immaculate justice — a scheme in 
which insulted justice, immaculate holiness, and infinite grace 
could mingle without eclipsing each other, and shine with 
united beams and concentrated radiance. Truly, in this scheme 
God hath abounded towards us in all wisdom. But for the 
entrance of sin, this wise scheme could not have been exhibited. 

In fine, I remark that the scheme of salvation through Jesus 
Christ is the most wonderful display of the divine perfections. 
How strange to see the Creator and the creature united in one 



THE HOLINESS OF THE TOUCH. 



143 



person; so that while as a man he could suffer and die, as God 
he could be enthroned and adored! How strange to see death 
abolished by the Lord of life! How strange to see sinners 
healed by a Savior's wounds, crowned by a Savior's cross, 
elevated by a Savior's condemnation, enriched by a Savior's 
poverty, glorified by a Savior's disgrace! How strange to see 
sin, which is so dishonoring to God, so ruinous to man, made 
subservient to the noblest display of the perfections of God, 
and the highest happiness of man! Well might the angels 
sing, ' ' Glory to God in the highest. " Had sin not entered, 
they never could have reached such a high key in their song. 

Let it not be inferred from what we have said that sin is not 
an evil in itself. If God in his wisdom extract good out of it, 
this does not prove that it is good in its nature. Sin as com- 
mitted by us is only evil and rebellion against God and the 
holiness of his nature. Everywhere in the Scriptures we read 
of the great evil of sin. EveryAvhere we receive the most 
solemn warnings against its Commission; and everywhere we 
hear of the chastisements it brings even on those who are 
rescued from its finally condemning power. But though sin 
in itself is infinitely evil, yet in connection and concurrence 
with the other parts of the great plan of creation, it promotes 
the same design. It is a destined link in the great chain of 
creation by which the divine glory is to be manifested. As a 
quantity of poison which, if taken by itself would prove fatal, 
may yet be a useful ingredient in a compound medicine to make 
it produce its effect; so sin, though infinitely evil, and destruc- 
tive in its nature, is yet overruled by the great Disposer of all 
things, in subordination to the general end. 

''But might not God, if he had chosen, have so constructed 
his plan as to show forth his glory without making the existence 
of sin a necessary part of it ? " 

We dare not affirm that he might not, yet we must allow 
that through the existence of sin he gives a much brighter 
display of his glory. This consideration removes every 



144 



THEIR UNCTION. 



appearance of blame on the part of God in making sin a part of 
his plan; for thus his plan is more perfect and better calculated 
to gain its grand design. 

' ' But why should a being of absolute perfection, eternally 
and infinitely happy in his own existence, see meet to manifest 
himself in such a degree, that the existence of sin would be 
necessary to this manifestation ? " 

I cannot answer the question; and could you ask it of the 
angels of heaven, you would perhaps receive the same answer. 
Created intellect, I apprehend, will never be able to penetrate 
into this depth. Even the great apostle of the Gentiles, under 
the inspiration of the Spirit of God, does not attempt to answer 
it, but exclaims, 1 ' O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom 
and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, 
and his ways past finding out! " 

f. The Sovereignty of the Touch, carries in it the Mild- 
ness of the Touch. It is not said a fct band of men M whose 
hearts God had struck ; but 1 1 a band of men whose hearts God 
had touched ;" indicating the mildness of the manner of the 
operation. This does not at all conflict with the truth, that 
regeneration is the effect of the exceeding greatness of God's 
power. Power is not necessarily soniferous, and violent in its 
working. It is a truth that God puts forth his highest acts of 
power, silently. Had you stood w T ith the morning stars, in 
that solemn moment when the Almighty called this vast globe 
into being, you would have been filled with fearful apprehen- 
sions as it rolled from his hands into the regions of space ; for 
seeing nothing to sustain it, you would have said, it will fall 
away forever into darkness. But it does not fall : the power 
of its maker unseen compasses it about, and holds it up, and softly, 
silently, and invisibly it begins to run its mighty revolutions. 
The little rivulet is carried along with a murmuring sound; but 
the universe is moved in silence. Winds whisper, and what 
even is the rage of the tempest, the roaring of the sea, and the 
rolling of the thunder, but whispers of power in comparison 



THE MILDNESS OF THE TOUCH. 



145 



with that which is put forth in the flow of light, and in the 
balancing of the vast globes of the firmament? And yet these 
latter operations are carried on without a sound to tell that 
there is any power at all in them. 

While the almighty power of God in regeneration leaves us 
to conceive of it in the most lively and animated point of view, 
it by no means countenances the wild and dangerous conceits of 
some, who place the whole of their religion in sudden impulses, 
ecstatic emotions, and other wild reveries of a heated imagina- 
tion, with which the understanding has little to do: no such 
power is exerted as subverts the original constitution of our 
natures; and having divested men of their reason, leaves them 
under the wild infatuation of a deluded fancy, and inflamed 
passions. The Holy Spirit does not work by visions, voices, 
revelations, or by any phenomena that would interrupt the 
natural movement of our minds. This idea is set forth by 
Moses, when he says, "My speech shall distil as the dew, as 
the small rain upon the tender herb. " Here the Holy Spirit is 
not compared to showers from God, seen visibly to fall; and 
with impetuous violence bearing down everything before them; 
but as the dew, and the small rain, which descends in such an 
easy and soft manner that they do no violence to the most ten- 
der herb. The figures teach us that the Holy Spirit, in work- 
ing in us the things that are good, and leading us forth in the 
performance of the same, identifies himself with our mental 
habits, as the dew which lies all night upon our branches, gather- 
ing so silently, and coming so habitually, that it seems rather to 
have been exhaled from within, than to have descended from 
without. 

We may be asked to harmonize this with those deep terrors 
that attend some conversions, as in the case of the Philippian 
jailer. In answering this inquiry we must bear in mind, that 
the law and the gospel are widely different in their manner of 
operation. The law of God applied to the conscience is that 
which works conviction. The law precedes the gospel and is 

10 



146 



THEIR UNCTION. 



indispensable. Sin is a transgression of the law, and by the 
law is the knowledge of sin : for where there is no law there is 
no transgression. When the sinner beholds his own character 
in the effulgence of the sanctity of the law, he must be filled 
with awe in view of the consequences of his conduct. From 
the discovery which the law gives of the glory of the divine 
character, and the just demerit of sin, he is able to see his own 
vileness, and the danger to which he is exposed. As he gazes 
on the fiery streams of the laAv issuing from Sinai's cloud-capped 
summit, and listens to its deep-toned thunders, he trembles. 

The sinner being thus brought to a sense of his danger, 
begins to look round for a way of escape. The law has per- 
formed its office. It has aroused his slumbering conscience. It 
has conducted him through the fearful history of a ruined soul. 
It has instructed him in the geography of the land of wretched- 
ness and woe. It has convinced him that he is in a region of 
desolation and distress. 

There is, however, something still wanting. His safety is not 
yet secure. His repentance is merely legal. The terrors 
which he feels are very grevious in themselves; they add a 
weight to all his miseries, and are a burden too heavy for his 
spirit long to sustain. The night of guilt has spread her awful 
mantle, and awakened conscience breathes despair. If relief is 
not afforded, the sinner will sink into wild distraction, or revert 
back again into coldness and indifference. He is now ready to 
embrace the first offer, and to run at the first encouragement. 
But in vain does he look into the law for anything of this kind. 
It is nothing but a black canopy of darkness through which a 
ray of hope can never enter. It condemns him personally and 
shuts him up to wrath. It comes into his conscience with 
power, saying, tk Thou art the man who has violated and set at 
naught my high mandates, I will have vengeance on mine 
adversary. " 

If we examine the direction of that wind that kt bloweth 
where it listeth," we shall find it uniformly setting toward self- 



THE MILDNESS OF THE TOUCH. 



147 



renunciation. "I am in the hand of a sovereign God," is the 
language of the sinner. The bolts of the law are driving him 
from self-dependence to reliance on God. ' 'They that be whole 
need not a physician, but they that are sick. " Hear the groan- 
ings of such a one in his secret chamber! — "O Lord, help or I 
perish, without a mediator I am lost, lost forever. By the 
beams of thy holy and immutable law, I see myself depraved 
and guilty. The stirring up of enmity within me shows me to 
myself as worse rather than better. Once I felt only my out- 
ward sins, now the rule has applied to my secret sins — my sins 
of purpose, sentiment, and thought — my habits and principles 
of sin, nay, my inmost state of sin." 

While to some favored souls the Lord Jesus is revealed in 
his plentitude of saving compassion from the very beginning 
of their inquiring state, to others he seems long inaccessible. The 
sufferer cries, "Oh that I knew where to find him!" Renewed 
convictions lead to renewed struggles. There are prayers and 
tears and groans, with abundant endeavors to make the heart 
better; which all the while seems to grow worse. Those exer- 
cises in which, perhaps, there was a certain complacency at first, 
lose all the power of quieting the conscience. They have no 
merit, they give no security. So far from thinking they are 
in a better way on account of these impressions and struggles, 
convinced souls are deeply persuaded that every additional 
amount of unbelief adds to the aggregate of guilt. Never 
before, it may be, had they such self-abhorrence, and despair 
of self-salvation as amidst the boiling corruptions and revealed 
impenitence which first preceded faith and rescue. "Once," 
says the sinner, "I thought I had a certain amount of guilt, 
and I tried to wash it away. Now I see my sins innumerable, 
and their turpitude immeasurable. Unfit to go to the fountain 
I lie here on the earth, and cry, ^Unclean, unclean. ' " 

Hence we see the necessity of the gospel offer, and how 
beautifully the law and the gospel harmonize together. When 
the law has thoroughly convinced the sinner of his sins, the 



148 THEIR UNCTION. 

gospel comes with its offers of mercy, and cheers his heart with 
hopes of heaven. When the sinner sorrows for his sins, the 
gospel points him to the mercy of God; and when he trembles 
at the sight of offended justice, the gospel assures him that in 
Christ the law and justice of God are satisfied. 

The mercy of God then is that on which the grieved sinner 
rests his soul. There the wicked devices of his heart and 
Satan cease from troubling, and there the weary spirit finds 
repose. The sinner in the land of his troubles hears that there 
is mercy with God. He turns his anxious eyes, and sees the 
streaming blood of propitiation. He listens and hears the 
cheering voice, "Return unto me ; for I have redeemed thee." 
His response is, "Lord, I am thine, save me." 

The gospel is the gospel of grace for lost sinners — lost sinners 
in a land of darkness, where the thunder rolls, waxing louder 
and louder, and the lightning blazes more and more fearfully ; 
and a voice continually issuing forth, ' ' Cursed is everyone that 
continue th not in all things which are written in the book of 
the law to do them. " But in the region of the gospel — a region 
lighted up by the dayspring from on high, there are no terrors, 
no lightnings, no thunders, no earthquake, no curses, no com- 
mands, no threatenings. Hence, in describing this work, the 
Spirit uses the soft expressions of inclining, drawing, leading, 
alluring. U I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of 
love." Here, indeed, is power, but it is connected with 
tenderness. Christ does not drive his people into heaven with 
the scorpion whip of his indignation — does not force them into 
the kingdom by the roaring of thunder ; but condescends to woo 
them with the pierced hands of his compassion. 

Every soul that has ever come to Christ in sincere faith has 
been drawn there, not by the power of trepidation; but by the 
tenderness of love. Terror can only drive, love attracts the 
soul. The response of every converted man to the claims of 
Jesus Christ has been, "Draw me, we will run after thee." 

g. The Sovereignt}^ of the Touch carries in it the Oon- 



THE CONTINUITY OF THE TOUCH. 



149 



tinuity of the Touch. God does not touch the heart into motion, 
and leave it to operate by power inherent in itself. All things 
are upheld in being by the immediate power of God. God did 
not create the material universe and give it laws of government, 
and leave it to preserve itself by its own motion. The idea of 
independent motion is incompatible with the omnipresence of 
God. What are the laws of the universe, but God's omnipres- 
ence energizing all things he has made, from the vast spheres 
in creation to the smallest departments in nature % 

The world, we say, is governed by the laws of nature ; but 
no law of nature can produce its effect without the continual 
agency that established the law. What are the laws of nature, 
but the uniform way in which God acts ? The sun rose to-day 
by the same power by which it first rose on the earth. It 
would be as rational to say, that it now rises by habit of rising, 
as to say it rises by the law of nature, unconnected with the im- 
mediate power of God. Did it require the power of God to give 
to the heavenly bodies that centripetal and centrifugal motion, 
which was necessary at first to keep them in their course % 

Does it not equally require a constant combination of the 
same power to preserve these inclinations ? To exclude God's 
immediate power from his work of providence, on the pretence 
of his general laws, is not only unscriptural, but unphilosoph- 
ical. God's appointment keeps everything in order ; but it is 
not an appointment unconnected with his continual agency. 
God's word made the world ; but it was not his word uncon- 
nected with his agency. 

Now here is where the Arminian blunders into the denial of 
the perseverance of the saints. He makes salvation depend on 
the power of the will — on conditions to be performed by us ; 
and not on the promise of God. The Scriptures teach that 
the promise is sure by being by grace ; and that it would not 
be sure if it were not so. This is plainly implied in the language 
of Paul, "It is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end 
the promise might be sure to all the seed." Now the promise 



150 



THEIR UNCTION. 



being the foundation of the Christian's faith and hope; if it 
be not sure, he undoubtedly stands on slippery ground: his faith 
can only be doubtful and wavering, no way sufficient to support 
him under the storms of life, to fortify him against the fear of 
death, or to give him certainty of the enjoyment of heaven. 
But on a sure and infallible promise, his faith rests with firm 
confidence, and he can rejoice in every tribulation, triumph in 
the prospect of death, and view eternal life as certainly his own 
as if he was already in the possession of it. In order, therefore, 
to be reconciled to the method of grace as that alone which is 
suited to man in his fallen state, we may endeavor to show on 
the one hand, that the accomplishment of the promise could not 
he sure if it depended on our works; and on the other hand, 
that it is infallibly sure by being by grace. 

It would not be sure if it depended on our works. In the 
covenant made with Adam, as the common head of his posterity, 
the promise depended on works, and failed; though Adam was 
perfectly holy, and free from all innate propensity to evil. AVas 
man, then, in this state of entire perfection, and left to the 
freedom of his own will, drawn away from his obedience to God, 
by the craftiness of Satan, and harried into the commission of 
sin, whereby he and all his posterity forfeited their right to the 
accomplishment of the promise, and incurred the threatened 
punishment; does it not follow that the promise could not be 
sure if the accomplishment of it depended on works to be 
performed by the creature For if it failed when man was in 
a perfect state, it certainly could not be sure if it depended on 
works to be performed by men in their corrupt state. 

Let it be kept in mind that man is not now in the state in 
which Adam was, when he was created and when the covenant 
of works was made with him. By his fall he lost his original 
righteousness, and sunk into a state of total depravity. All 
the faculties of his soul are corrupted, his understanding is 
darkened, his will alienated from God, his affections soiled, and 
his conscience seared. There is, therefore, no tendency in his 



THE CONTINUITY OF THE TOUCH. 



151 



nature to anything that is pure, he has no ability to do a pure act, 
is entirely prone to evil and naturally runs into it. How then 
could the promise be sure, if the accomplishment of it depended 
on works to be performed by man in such a degenerate state? 
If one good work could give us a right to the fulfilment of the 
promise, we could not perform it: for though we may do a 
work that is good as to the matter of it, we cannot do it in a 
right manner, from faith in God and love to him, and with a 
regard to his glory : yea, we cannot so much as order one good 
thought. This we may say on good ground ; for an apostle has 
said it before us, ' 4 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to 
think anything as of ourselves." 

But though the promise could not be sure, if its fulfilment 
depended in any measure on works to be performed by men in 
their corrupt, unconverted state, might it not be sure if it 
rested on works to be performed by them when converted? 
It would not. It is true, indeed, that in conversion sinners 
undergo a great and thorough change. Sin in their souls is 
under process of eradication by grace, and principles of holiness 
are implanted : all the faculties of their souls are renewed : their 
understandings are enlightened, their wills are inclined to 
comply with the will of God, and their affections are purified. 
But after all they are far from being perfect. Sin still dwells 
in them, and is often strong and violent in its actings. Paul, 
with all the abundance of grace given to him, had cause to say, 
4 4 When I would do good, evil is present with me," and that he 
found a law in his members, warring against the law of his mind, 
bringing him into captivity to the law of sin which was in his 
members. Saints, indeed, under the operations of divine grace 
do many good works ; but they also under the motions of 
remaining corruptions, do many things that are sinful. The 
divine testimony is that there is not a just man on the earth that 
doeth good and sinneth not. If we speak of the very best works 
of the saints, they are not perfectly good ; but have in them a 
mixture of sin. If the fulfilment of the promise, therefore, 



152 



THE IK UNCTION. 



depended on them, it is clear it could not be sure : and it is 
certain that it would be sure to fail : for if it depended on good 
works, none but good works perfectly performed and without 
interruption could give a right to it. Hence it is clear that the 
promise could not be sure, if the fulfilment of it depended on 
good works. But it is infallibly sure by its being by grace ; 
which is the other proposition we promised to illustrate. 

By the promise being by grace, its fulfilment depends entirely 
on God, and not on the creature. Now it is impossible that the 
promise can ever fail on God's side. He is infinitely true and 
faithful. When God's promise to man once failed, it did not 
fail on God's part, but on man's. The promise given to man 
in the covenant of works failed ; but how did it fail ? By man 
not performing the condition required of him. Had man done 
what belonged to him, God would have infallibly performed 
what he had promised ; for he abideth faithful, he cannot deny 
himself, k k Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and 
faithfulness the girdle of his reins." But the promises of the 
new covenant being of grace, the fulfilment depends entirety 
on God himself, and not in less or more on any thing to be done 
by the creature, and therefore, must be infalliby sure. 

Besides the promise being by grace, the fulfilment of it 
cannot fail through the sinfulness and unworthiness of men. 

The best, the most eminent of God's children must acknow- 
ledge that they are sinful and unworthy creatures. They must 
confess that innumerable evils compass them about, that their 
iniquities are more than the hairs on their heads : but their sins 
cannot deprive them of the good of a promise that is by grace. 
They are indeed ready to conclude that their sins are so many, 
so aggravated that it is vain for them to expect that the 
promise will be accomplished to them ; but they have no reason 
to perplex themselves with such disquieting thoughts. The 
accomplishment of the promise depends not on their good 
works ; it is of free grace, and grace triumphs over multiplied 
and heinous provocations. Paul could bear witness to che 



THE CONTINUITY OF THE TOUCH. 



153 



truth of this, "I was, "says he, "a blasphemer, and a perse- 
cutor, and injurious : but I obtained mercy and the 

grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love 
which is in Christ Jesus. " 

We may add that the promise is sure by being by grace, 
because grace is liable to no change. It is a perfection of God 
as unchangeable as his power, wisdom, holiness, justice, or any 
other of his perfections, and this gives absolute security to the 
promise. The frames and exercises of the saints are very 
changeable ; sometimes they are very good, and sometimes 
they are very bad ; their outward circumstances also are very 
variable : now they are prosperous, and again adverse ; but 
there is no change in the grace of God, it is as great, as real, 
as free at one time as at another: and since the accomplishment of 
the promise rests on it, it must be infallibly sure, and equally 
sure at all times, in the believer's bad frames in time of afflic- 
tions, as well as in the times of his frequent, fervent prayers. 

Let us then behold with admiration the gracious plan of 
salvation by free grace, reigning through the righteousness of 
the Redeemer ! In it the wisdom of God shines with highest 
luster. No other plan of salvation would have answered for 
fallen men, dead in trespasses and in sins. This is a capital 
article of the gospel ; or the good news and glad tidings which 
our Lord taught. On the supposition of the contrary doctrine, 
the sinner could find no sure footing, or rather no footing at 
all for the faith of salvation, if all were left to our free will, 
and to the pliability of our natural disposition, as Arminians 
and other enemies of the doctrine maintain. 

What comfort the enemies of this doctrine can draw from it 
I cannot coneeive. In order to the right enjoyment of any 
privilege it is essentially necessary that there be a full assurance 
of its security. The want of this would destroy all the happi- 
ness that is to be enjoyed from the greatest immunities. What 
signifies external possessions to an individual if he has no title 
to secure his right to them ? No man will risk the expendi- 



154 



THEIR UNCTION. 



ture of his substance upon a property without receiving the 
title. Without this he does not know what moment he may 
be dispossessed, and consequently must labor under continual 
uneasiness of mind. The same principle will hold good with 
respect to the matter of religion. Of all persons on the face 
of the earth, believers are the most happy. Their privileges 
are transcenclently great and excellent. What are any, what 
are all worldly considerations in comparison with the spiritual 
advantages which it is theii privilege to enjoy ? They are elect, 
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, and are the 
objects of his distinguishing and everlasting love. Through 
the sanctification of the Spirit, and the sprinkling of the blood 
of Jesus, they are cleansed from their sins, delivered from the 
bond of iniquity, adopted, renewed, made partakers of the divine 
nature, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, become his 
children, are fitted for communion with him and actually con- 
stitued the heirs of glory. But what does this avail, if they 
may fall from all these great privileges ? Tell the believer with 
all these great prospects in view, that they may every one be 
revoked, that he may be abandoned, fall into disgrace and 
perish at last ; and you immediately envelop him about with an 
impenetrable cloud of gloom and darkness ; you cut the spring of 
his activity, tear a hole in the vessel at which all the wine of his 
joy runs out. This blow would strike him dumb and powerless at 
once, take away every motive of love and gratitude to God, 
and every encouragement to holiness of practice. 

Where then, I ask again, according to this doctrine is the 
believer's comfort ? As a worthy writer forcibly observes, 
" Believers feel deeply sensible of the corruption of their 
hearts ; and what can it be to them that the death of the Son 
of God is made the price of their redemption, since they must 
perform the conditions of faith and repentance, and persevere 
till the end of their lives ? What though Jehovah had said to 
their souls, I have loved you with an everlasting love, his 
loving kindness may endure but for a moment, and the everlast- 



THE CONTINUITY OF THE TOUCH. 



155 



ing covenant of his peace be removed ! What ! suppose he has 
written their names in heaven, in the Lamb's book of life ; they 
are less tenacious than the items in a ledger, and may be blotted 
out ere to-morrow. What ! suppose Christ hath loved them, 
and gives himself to death for them, it is no more than he hath 
done for millions at this instant in hell, and for millions who 
shall be eternally damned. His death can, therefore, be of no 
more comfort to them than their creation : and perhaps it had 
been better for them if they had never been born. What ! 
suppose the Holy Spirit has, in some happy moment, obtained 
the concurrence, or at least the permission of their free wills, to 
change their natures and implant within them gracious principles; 
they are put in a bag with holes, and may be lost ere to-morrow, 
What ! suppose they had taken their place on the celestial throne, 
perhaps by an inadvertent slip of their free wills, they might 
tumble headlong into hell, as multitudes of angels once did. 
As good be reprobated according to the Calvinistic scheme as 
one of the elect according to the Arminian. According to the 
Calvinistic scheme, God will save no man but according to his 
purpose. According to the Arminian scheme, God neither will 
nor can save any man without the permission and assistance of 
the man's free will : that is, without the performance of the 
condition of faith and repentance produced from a carnal mind, 
at enmity against God, which is an utter impossibility. Accord- 
ing to the Calvinistic scheme the divine purposes lay no bar in 
the way of the free performance of duty ; and, therefore, whoso- 
ever believeth shall be saved : according to the Arminian scheme, 
it is not one act of believing, no, nor a thousand acts of faith 
and repentance and sincere obedience, that will fix our state. 
God's choice of us, the death of his Son for us, and the opera- 
tions of his Spirit within us, cannot avail us unless our free will 
take heed to herself. How can we be steadfast, immoveable, 
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our 
labor shall not be in vain in the Lord, when perhaps to-morrow 
we may fall from grace and be damned, and all our labor go 



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THEIR UNCTION. 



for nothing ? If we attempt to give thanks, what if an entrance 
into hell turn our song into howling ? If we owe oar happiness 
more to the management of our own free wills, than to God's 
purpose, Christ's death, and the operation of the Holy Spirit, why 
should we deny ourselves, and have no confidence in the flesh ; 
but rejoice in Christ Jesus ? On this scheme, we owe no more 
praise to the Lamb than those in the lake that burns with fire 
and brimstone. Let my song then be, not, ' ' Worthy is the 
Lamb that was slain, " but, ' ' Worthy art thou, my free will that 
sitteth on the throne, to receive honor and glory and dominion 
and blessing ; for thou hast taken care and redeemed us to God. 
Salvation to our free will that sitteth upon the throne. " 

But if in opposition to this free will scheme, we base the 
believer's safety in the grace of God, then indeed he is safe. 

Look at the veracity of God, if there is any immutability of 
purpose, any stability of covenant, any veracity of promise 
with God, the saints shall persevere. The truth of God is one 
of the strong pillars upon which it is founded. Is there any 
possibility of it being taken away ? The saints non-perseverance 
can rest upon no other hypothesis. But he is not man that he 
should lie. His determinations are unalterable, and shall all be 
fulfilled. No unforeseen embarrassment can divert him from 
his purpose. Amid dire convulsions, through aspects dark and 
bright, he moves on in the accomplishment of his purposes, 
and the fulfilment of his promises with undeviating course. 
None of his sayings ever yet failed in their accomplishment. 
Once hath he sworn in his holiness, that he will not lie to the 
mystical David, that he shall see his seed, and that they shall be 
established before him. There are few who make any preten- 
sions to religion, who will in words deny the truth of God. Yet, 
alas ! how prone are they to disbelieve his words ? What 
can be more clearly stated than the saint's perseverance? 
4 'The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in 
you." What is this anointing but the incorruptible prin- 
ciple of life and light, and what is this but a positive 



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declaration of his continual indwelling ? And with what smiling 
promises has he pledged his veracity, and declared the perpe- 
tuity of his counsel? "I will make an everlasting covenant 
with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them 
good ; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall 
not depart from me." Is not this a promise of perpetual con- 
servation in a state of grace, of the constancy of God's love to 
his people, and of their perpetual adherence to him ? He is 
engaged for both sides, not only to be faithful to them, but to 
make them faithful to him. "I will never leave thee nor for- 
sake thee. " "Though you may not always have me in your 
sight, yet my gracious presence shall go with you at all times. 
I will ever appear on your behalf, and exert myself in my 
all-sufficiency, according to my infinite wisdom, power, and 
love to comfort you, and secure your perseverance in grace, till 
you are brought safe to glory. Your whole spirit, soul, and 
body shall be preserved blameless unto the coming of Christ. " 
Now if there be any possibility of believers missing salvation, 
the absoluteness of the truth of these promises will be destroyed. 
If they may fall from grace, their salvation is at once reduced 
to an uncertainty. It would depend upon a mere probability 
only. They may be saved, or they may not. And would 
God, think you, pawn one orient pearl of his crown in such 
a case as this ? Then they that trust in the Lord shall be 
as mount Zion which cannot be moved, but abideth forever. 
"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed ; but 
my kindness shall not depart from thee." Sooner shall the 
great mountains be torn from their strong basis, and the 
perpetual hills be removed. Sooner shall the sun, the glorious 
parent of the day, and the moon, the silver regent of the night, 
be extinguished in their habitations, and the stars rush from 
the darkened sky. 

In connection with God's faithfulness, let us keep his power 
in view : for if he is not able to fulfil his promises, of course 
they must fail. But what can destroy that which is kept by 



158 



THEIR UNCTION. 



God's almighty power ? Take a view of its greatness, and ask, 
is any thing too hard for the Lord? This solid earth sprang 
into existence at his word, and yonder glorious orbs, by the 
breathing of his mouth. Worlds are balanced by his power, 
and oceans held in the hollow of his hand. All nature hears 
his awful mandate and all her laws obey. How many are the 
wonders he hath done, both in the heights above and in the 
depths beneath! The thunder of his power who can under- 
stand ? Hath he produced and shall he not be able to preserve 
the vital principle, though like a living spark in the midst of 
the ocean of corruption. Grace in the believer is like a spark 
in the midst of the ocean. Corruption is all around it. The 
tares are mixed with the wheat. There is more sin than grace, 
yet grace is habitually predominant. Why is it not quenched 
and smothered by corruption ? It is fanned by the breath of 
the Almighty. See the Christians, in the midst of what a 
host of enemies do they stand ! How envious they are of their 
happiness ! How they rage against them ! How they send 
their swift and fiery darts in every direction around them ! In 
the midst of the lions' den Daniel is kept alive ; in the midst of 
roaring devils the Christian is not torn to pieces. Whence is 
it that they stand 'i They are kept by the power of God. It 
is well they are not left to stand upon their own strength. 
How feeble would be all the resistance they would be able to 
make ! But in the wall of God's protection they are safe. 
As the Lord preserved Israel from perishing in the wilderness 
the same care will he take of his people ; if not in a miraculous 
yet in a spiritual and invincible manner, in preserving them in 
a state of grace, till he bring them safe to the celestial Canaan. 
Hence, says Christ, 4 l My Father, who gave them me, is greater 
than all ; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's 
hand. " He is greater than all the creatures in the universe ; 
and none can tear them from his all-powerful grasp. 
None of them shall ever perish, through any outward tempta- 
tion, or any evil propensity, or by virtue of any enemy. 



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Though their adversaries are many, their strength small, their 
fears multiplied, yet the principle of life, the habit of grace, 
the seed of God remains. He whom they love, whom they 
fear, whom they serve, is able, is willing to keep them from 
falling. He who has begun a good work in them, will main- 
tain, will increase, will accomplish the life of grace, and the 
death of sin. Enfeebled they may be, like a bruised reed, a 
smoking flax, a withered tree, whose leaves are nipped by surly 
winter ; but they shall not be destroyed. Rejoice not against 
them, ye enemies of their salvation ; triumph not over them, ye 
powers of darkness ; for though they fall they shall rise again. 

The doctrine of the eternal and unchangeable decree of God's 
election is another strong pillar by which the doctrine of the 
saint's perseverance is underset. God determined the salvation 
of his people in the counsels of eternity. He chose them in 
Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world — before all 
worlds — that was from eternity. This argument stands like 
Mount Zion which cannot be removed. What can frustrate 
election, or render null the decree of God? Electing love is 
free and unchangeable. Every*true believer is elected to glory. 
"I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore, with 
loving kindness have I drawn you." Because I thought of 
you, and loved you, and chose you to salvation, far back in 
the ages of eternity, I will powerfully draw you unto me in my 
great loving kindness. 

Such as God has thus from all eternity elected to glory can- 
not fall away finally. "The foundation of God standeth sure, 
having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his." His 
purpose of grace and salvation cannot be disappointed. The 
foundation which the apostle meant is, doubtless, God's decree 
in election. This stands firm. The gates of hell cannot pre- 
vail against it ; nor can anyone who has an interest in it be 
fatally deceived. It has engraven on it this seal, "The Lord 
knoweth them that are his." He knows his chosen, he approves 
and takes especial care of those whom he has called. 



160 



THEIR UNCTION. 



Again, we argue the certainty of the saint's perseverance 
from the nature of the purchase. Believers are not their own ; 
they are bought with a price. A price is a valuable compensa- 
tion of one thing for another. A slave is redeemed from 
captivity, a debtor from prison, when some gracious redeemer 
procures their liberty by giving some equivalent to the person 
by whom they are detained. But we may be asked, to whom 
was the price paid? To the devil or to God? To God, 
undoubtedly ; for the devil's authority was usurped, from which 
he could be dispossessed by a mere act of power. But we, in 
going into the captivity of the devil, violated God's holy law. 
We are, therefore, debtors to God's law, and cannot pay. We 
are captives, and cannot hasten to be loosed. Jesus Christ the 
merciful redeemer pays the sum we owe ; and says to the 
prisoners, ' 'Go free. 11 A dear price it was. With a great sum 
did he obtain this freedom. Never did any object cost so dear 
as this. The treasuries of heaven were empitied. They were 
drained to the very last mite. They could give no more. 
What was the price ? The precious blood of God's eternal Son. 
By his own precious blood he entered into the holy place, 
having obtained eternal redemption for us. Will any man lay 
down his money for a purchase that may be lost ? Will Christ 
lose his purchase ? Did he die to purchase a people unto him- 
self, and shall he lose them ? Would he have paid such a dear price 
for them, that they might believe on him for a while, and then 
fall away? Surely he will preserve them with the most invio- 
lable regard. They cost him too dear to suffer one of them, the 
least of them to fall away and perish. For them he left the 
skies. For them did he labor, and groan, and weep, and sweat, 
and die. For them was he smitten, spit upon, scourged, nailed to 
the accursed tree. The Father forsakes him, the thunders awaken 
about him, and the glittering sword of incensed justice pierced 
him to the very vitals. This was the ransom price — a price 
beyond all price — a sum too large for the arithmetic of angels 
to compute. He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be 



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161 



satisfied. He shall receive the full value of his payment. One 
item shall not be spent in vain. All shall persevere for whom 
his soul was made an offering. 

We argue the infallible perseverance of the saints from their 
union to Christ. Christ and believers are one. They were 
one with him before they were born in the world of nature. 
The conjunction is as ancient as eternity. 

Grace was given them in Christ Jesus before the world began. 
With him they were crucified — with him they died — with him 
they descended into the grave — with him they rose ; and with 
him they ascended on high, and sat down in heavenly places. 
Nothing is adequate to give us a full conception of the closeness 
and strictness of this union. Many are the images by which it 
is represented in Scripture. In the world of nature and of art, 
there are many conjunctions ; and which of them is not sum- 
moned by the Spirit of God to shadow forth this supernatural 
one? As the body is joined to the garments which it wears — 
to the head which adorns it — to the soul which animates it; as 
the branch to the vine and the vine to the root — the husband 
to the wife and the foundation to the superstructure, so is 
Christ to believers. They put him on as a garment. They 
are knit together with him, they are nourished by him, they 
increase by him as a head with the increase of God. He is 
their life. It is not they that live but Christ that liveth in 
them. He is formed in their hearts. In him they are rooted 
as branches in the vine, built up on him, as lively stones upon a 
living foundation. 

Now who can destroy this union ? Christ's headship is not 
an empty title ; nor his relations mere insignificant names. 
They are eminently filled up with that divine affection, tender- 
ness, and compassion, which infinitely transcends the highest 
love and pity that can be found with the nearest and dearest 
relations in the world. The most tender and affectionate among 
women may sooner, through want of compassion, neglect to 
give her tender infant that nourishment and protection which i 

11 



162 



THEIR UNCTION. 



necessary, than Christ can forget and forsake any of his 
members. They are all the beloved parts of himself ; and can 
it be that he will cast away his own substance \ What rational 
man did ever yet hate his own flesh, or suffer the meanest part 
of himself to mortify and perish, when it was in his power to 
prevent it ? Is it possible then that any part of Christ should 
perish ? Can he lose any part of his mystical body, and be 
perfect ? If he may lose one, why not another, why not all ? 
On this supposition it might possibly be that he would not have 
one member to his mystical body. But animating considera- 
tion ! this is not the case. What was once said of Christ's 
natural body is true of his mystical, a bone of him shall not 
be broken. kk Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or 
nakedness, or peril, or sword?" Believers may even triumph 
in the field of battle, and exult in their conflicts and groans. 
Shall tribulation of any kind, degree, or continuance ; shall the 
sword of Avar, or that of the executioner sever them from 
Christ? 4t I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor 
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor 
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, 
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord." Life with all its snares and trials: 
the highest degree of prosperity to which they can possibly be 
raised, nor the deepest gulf of misery into which they can be 
plunged, nor the machinations of evil angels, nor the princely 
powers of the world ; neither the heights of created power, nor 
the deepest plots of subtle enemies, nor any creature, nor all 
creatures, shall ever prevail to separate true believers from the 
love of God in Christ Jesus. But what is more than all this, 
death cannot do it. It may divide their souls from their 
bodies ; the grave may calcine their flesh and bones ; the four 
winds may war for their dust, their vital union to Christ still 
remains, when they render up the ghost, they die in the Lord. 
When they descend into the grave their dust sleeps in Jesus. 



THE CONTINUITY OF THE TOUCH. 



163 



Can any force, can any fraud find means to enter into the 
heaven of heavens and pluck an eye or tear a limb from the 
glorified humanity of the exalted Redeemer ? Believers are kept 
as the apple of his eye, and are members of his body, of his 
flesh, and of his bones. 

Again, we argue the saint's perseverance in grace by virtue 
of Ohrisfs continual intercession. The several titles given to 
him in Scripture are such as clearly denote that he acts in this 
character. He is called God's servant, the messenger of the 
covenant, the apostle and high priest of our profession. And 
when he was upon the earth he constantly acknowledged that 
he acted as mediator by permission of the Father. 4 'I came 
down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of 
him that sent me." What was this will? Himself will answer 
the question. This is the Father's will that hath sent me, 
that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing. 
Then if prayers and intercession can aught avail, believers will 
continue in a state of grace. He is ever praying that their 
grace may hold out. Thus he addressed the glorious throne 
while yet a sojourner on earth. "Holy Father, keep through 
thine own name, those whom thou hast given me. " Keep them 
as jewels, and as stars in their orbs ; may their faiih not be 
totally eclipsed. Nor is he now unmindful of his brethren in 
the realms on high. While he yet breathed terrestrial air, he 
promised to his drooping friends, ' ' I will pray the Father, and 
he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with 
you forever." See him surrounded with prostrate seraphim. 
What joy and gladness in his countenance, what heaven in his 
eye ! Mark how the keys of hell and death depend upon his 
girdle ; Fear not, my beloved people, ' ' because I live ye shall 
live also. " "I am he that liveth, and was dead ; and, behold, 
I am alive forevermore, Amen ; and have the keys of hell and 
of death." He hath an unchangeable priesthood. He is " a 
priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Wherefore he 
is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God 



164 



THEIR UNCTION. 



by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. " 

He is not like a mere man who undertakes to defend and 
deliver another, and perhaps dies in the critical emergency ; 
but he ever liveth and reigneth as a priest upon his throne, to 
plead his merit and sacrifice on their behalf, to present their 
persons, and services, and prayers for acceptance, through the 
ransom of his blood to interpose between them and every one 
who would lay anything to their charge — to protect and deliver 
them by his almighty power, and give them all things from his 
unsearchable riches. Wherefore on this account, he is able to 
save perfectly to the end, in all possible circumstances and 
extremities, from all guilt, pollution, and temptation, in all 
dangers, and against all enemies, every one, and the whole 
company of them through all ages and nations, who come to 
God, as sinners for salvation, by him, believing in his name, 
and fully depending on his atonement and intercession, and 
asking all blessings for his sake, and as the free gift of God 
through him. He will give unto them eternal life, and none 
shall pluck them out of his hands. 

Some say that the security here promised must be deferred 
till the saints shall come to the uninterrupted felicity of the 
heavenly world. But it must have respect to their safety in 
their passage through this wilderness. What daring adversary 
shall ever appear in heaven to make a bold attempt 1 No 
unclean thing can ever make its appearance within the gates of 
the heavenly Jerusalem. This shows that all propriety of 
interpretation would be lost, did this promise of Christ to 
blast all attempts for his people's ruin refer to the upper world 
where no such attempt can possibly be made. We must under- 
stand the passage of Christ's effectually calling his people into 
a state of grace, in the real enjoyment of communion with him, 
and the beginning of eternal life even in this world. Moreover, 
his faithfulness requires him to keep his people. His agreement 
with the Father renders it necessary that he should do so. He is 
to lose nothing that the Father committed to his care. And if 



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165 



after all his solemn engagements for their safety, any of them 
should be lost and perish at last, the honor of his office, and 
the glory of his faithfulness must at once fall to the ground. 
Therefore he will keep them as the apple of his eye, that no 
danger befall them. 

We argue the saint's perseverance/rom the interest that Christ 
hath in them. As we argue the Father's love to them from 
his giving them to Christ ; so we argue Christ's love to them 
from his willingness to accept of them. He had not only the 
Father's honor in his eye, but his own honor and reward. But 
how can he be honored and rewarded, ' 1 in whom dwelleth all 
the fulness of the Godhead bodily ? " But we must remember 
that, in becoming our Savior, he assumed our nature. He is 
then a God-man meditator. In this character he is capable of 
honor and reward. In this character he received his people 
from the Father. The Father gave them to him in his assumed 
office as a servant, and as a recompense for his labors in that 
office. He made them over to him as a people peculiar to 
himself, appointed to bear his image, and show forth his praise 
to be the everlasting trophies of his conquest. This was his stip- 
ulated reward, and with it he is well pleased. No sooner did 
he hear the promise, u He shall see his seed," than he answered, 

"Lo, I come I delight to do thy will, O my God." 

Why did he leave his eternal throne, lay aside his radiant crown 
and royal robes, and descend in haste through all the shining 
ranks of seraphim and cherubim to make his appearance in a 
stable in Bethlehem, to mingle with poor, afflicted, polluted 
children who had cast off their submission to their rightful 
sovereign, who had banded themselves against his authority, 
and therefore, justly deserved the severest punishment? His 
" delights were with the sons of men." What sustained him 
under the malice and ingratitude of men, the assaults of Satan, 
the treachery of his enemies, and the desertion and denial of his 
friends ; the agony of the garden, the night of grief in Herod's 
hall, the shame and pain of the accursed tree ; and the hiding 



166 



THEIR UNCTION. 



of his Father's face? "The joy that was set before him." 
What was this joy ? The redemption of his people — that he 
might have the companions of his tribulation for the compan- 
ions of his glory — that he might have such worthless creatures 
as you and me by his side, in the heavens, redeemed, purified, 
and blessed. And oh ! with what joy will he appear when the 
number of his elect is accomplished, and his reward is full — 
when the last soul that is his shall be gathered into his kingdom 
— when the last stone shall be laid in his spiritual temple — 
when the last spot and wrinkle shall be wiped away— when not 
a grace shall be wanting, nor a stain left, when he shall stand 
before the throne of Jehovah, and say like a faithful servant, 
or rather like a triumphant victor, "It is finished !" "Behold 
I and the children which God hath given me." "Those that 
thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost. " As 
he rejoiced in the anticipation of this work, how great will be 
his joy when it is completed ; when he presents all his people 
perfect through his comeliness ? Surely then, in the full 
volume of his voice which is as the sound of many waters, he 
will "joy over them with singing. " Will he weary before the 
consummation of his joy, before the halleluiahs of heaven shall 
burst as the sound of many waters, and as the voice of mighty 
thunderings, saying, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give 
honor to him ; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and 
his wife hath made herself ready 1 " 

Finally, I argue the saint's perseverance in grace from the 
perpetual indvjelling of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is 
given to every believer. The Spirit quickens them : they are 
born of the Spirit : they partake of all the gifts and graces of 
the Spirit : and are continually led by the Spirit. Hence 
Christ told the disciples that when he would ascend to his 
Father, he would send the Comforter, and he would abide with 
them forever — that he would dwell continually in their hearts, 
and carry on the work of grace to the end. He drops fresh oil 
into the lamp of grace and keeps it burning continual!}'. The 



THE CONTINUITY OF THE TOUCH. 



167 



bodies of believers are temples of the Holy Ghost, and he will 
keep every part in repair. He makes them living temples, and 
is in them a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 
He is the abiding unction — the incorruptible seed of God — the 
joyful earnest of the heavenly inheritance. By him they are 
sealed until the day of redemption. Who shall dare break up 
these living epistles ; and deface the sacred characters of God's 
law, which he hath written in their hearts ? We are told that 
they may do it themselves. The objector says that those who 
have been the temple of God, by virtue of the Spirit dwelling 
in them, may so corrupt the temple by their wicked actions, as 
to cause the Spirit to leave them forever. Their proof is 14 If 
any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy." 
We are persuaded that the apostle does not speak of believers 
distributively considered. That he speaks of them in a 
collective capacity, is plain from the verse immediately pre- 
ceding, ' k Know ye not that ye are the temple of God % " The 
temple, then, to which the apostle has reference, is the whole 
church of Christ. And truly the man who defiles this by vile 
doctrines, superstitious innovations, or corrupt practices, God 
will most certainly destroy. This we take to be the fair 
explication of the text. No objection, therefore, can be raised 
from it against the Spirit's perpetual residence in the souls of 
believers, but on the supposition that the person who defiles 
the temple is himself a true believer, and a temple of the Holy 
Ghost. A supposition of this kind is not contained in the 
apostle's representation of the matter. He represents them as 
self-deceivers, and in such a state of ignorance and darkness, 
and such strangers to experimental acquaintance with Christ as 
can never be allowed concerning true believers. Further, let 
it be considered that as the sins which believers committed 
before regeneration, when they were in their natural state, did 
not hinder the Spirit from entering into them at regeneration, 
surely no miscarriage which they commit after regeneration 
can cause the Spirit to depart wholly from them. ' t For if, when 



168 



THEIK UNCTION. 



we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his 
Son ; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his 
life." 

If the Spirit approached us, and made his entrance into us, 
when we were lying in all our filth and pollution, surely now he 
will not leave us, when we are justified by the blood of Jesus. 
The constant abiding then of the Spirit in the hearts of 
believers, does secure their continual perseverance in grace. 
He cannot remain there inactive. He must perform his office 
of comforting and sanctifying. His continual residence is 
promised under all these characters, and therefore, we may be 
confident in this, that believers shall persevere in grace unto 
eternal salvation. 

I will now advert to some of the Arminian objections to the 
doctrine of the saint's perseverance. 

( 1 ) It is said that some have fallen from grace and finally 
perished. The objector here mistakes a fall from the doctrines 
of the gospel and a profession of religion, for a falling from 
grace. This we have no disposition to deny. It is abundantly 
confirmed from the testimony of the former and latter times. 
A doctrinal faith may be and frequently is overthrown. The 
apostle John says concerning those who forsook the profession 
of Christianity in his day, L k They went out from us, but they 
were not of us." Wherein did the difference between them 
lie ? Not so much in anything that was external, as to the 
internal frame and disposition of their minds. They wanted 
the gracious anointing of the Holy One. If they had possessed 
this, kt They would," says the apostle, k 'no doubt have con- 
tinued with us : but they went out, that they might be made 
manifest that they were not all of us." By this expression, 
were not all of us, we cannot make the apostle say, some who 
went out from us were not of us, and some were not of us to 
make it manifest that they were not all of us. This would 
be making the apostle speak an absurdity. His plain meaning 
is this, some who joined with us in a profession of the 



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169 



faith, were not what they professed to be, and they went out 
from us to show that they were not all of us, that is, that all 
who made a profession with us, were not all of us. The passage 
affords no proof against the doctrine of the saint's perseverance. 

Again, the doctrine of the non-perseverance of the saints is 
argued from Paul's charge to Timothy, 1 4 Holding faith, and a 
good conscience ; which some having put away, concerning faith 
have made shipwreck." 

Paul here makes a distinction between faith and a good 
conscience. By faith he does not mean the grace of faith, 
but the doctrine of faith. And he admonishes Timothy that if 
he would acquit himself with honor and advantage in the 
exercises of his ministry, it concerned him to be steadfast in the 
faith, holding it forth in his preaching ; and to keep a conscience 
void of offence. Some, he tells Timothy, had put away a good 
conscience ; and gives him an example in Hymeneus and 
Alexander. It is confidently asserted that these men had a 
good conscience, but put it away from them. But the ex- 
pression, "put mvay" does not mean that they ever had a 
good conscience. The same expression is used by Paul 
and Barnabas against those Jews who opposed the gospel 
preached by them, tw Seeing you put it from you, and judge 
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the 
Gentiles." 

The word, put away, signifies to repel — to reject with con- 
tempt. These men never had a good conscience, and therefore, 
they threw off their mask, renounced the faith, and made 
shipwreck of the whole of religion. 

Again, the objector abuses Paul's language to the Galatians 
as a proof of his point. ' ^Christ has become of no effect unto 
you, whosoever of you are justified by the law ; ye are fallen 
from grace." Observe, none are represented as fallen from 
grace, except those who were justified by the law ; but by 
the deeds of the law no flesh can be justified. The apostle's 
meaning is very plain. They had fallen from the plan of grace, 



170 



THEIR UNCTION. 



to wit, justification by the righteousness of Christ, and depended 
upon the deeds of the law for justification. Such put away faith 
in Christ's atoning merits, and go about to establish their own 
righteousness, which is like filthy rags. This was not only the 
proceeding of nominal Christians in the apostle's day, but also 
in our day. 

Without quoting any more examples, I observe that all the 
examples, which the objector brings forward to' substantiate 
his point, are of the same nature of those we have noticed. 
The persons referred to never had a real work of grace wrought 
in their hearts. We do not contend with the stability of such. 
A Demas will forsake Christ, and a Judas will betray him ; but 
they were not of him — had no love for him. Hypocrites may 
look like saints; they may show for a while, but they 
will expire like the blazing meteor. Temporary believers con- 
tinue for a while, but having no root they -wither away. A 
foundation on the sand will fall. Seeming grace may fail. 
But this does not argue that true believers, who are effectually 
wrought upon, may fall. Meteors vanish, but the stars 
remain. 

(2 ) It is said that some eminent saints have fallen from grace, 
and again been renewed to repentance. Here again the objector 
undoubtedly labors under a mistake. He takes the languish- 
ings and decays of grace, for a total falling off from grace. 
We do not deny that grace may fail in the degree, and a great 
breach be made upon sanctification. It may suffer an eclipse, 
but not an entire dissolution. Its evidence may be lost, and go 
so far out of sight that the individual may apprehend that he 
has none. Its exercise may be lost, and its actings suspended. 
It may be ready to die — its glimmerings so faint that even one 
feeble ray does not penetrate the surrounding darkness. 
Wise virgins may slumber as well as foolish. The godly may 
act faintly in religion, and the pulse of their affections beat 
very low. Their corruptions may prevail over their grace — 
be vigorous, and lively, and cause them to fall into enormous 



THE CONTINUITY OF THE TOUCH. 



171 



sins. They may lose much of their former love and tenderness. 
David may commit murder and adultery, and Peter may deny 
his blessed master. All this may take place without a total 
declension from grace. God's people may stray far from him, 
into the bewildering wilds of sin ; but they will not be lost. 
Grace may be abated, but it will not be abolished. Wise virgins 
may slumber, but their lamps will not quite go out. Christians 
may be cast down, apparently dead, and little hopes entertained 
of their recovery, but still there is some life in them. They 
lie very low, but they are not utterly cast down. The Lord 
upholdeth them with his hand. Grace will revive from its 
very lowest ebbs, strengthen and nourish. 

( 3 ) It is said that the threats of God against declension 
from grace is a ground to believe that saints may fall from 
grace. The severest threats are denounced against those who 
do not continue steadfast in their obedience. Hence, says the 
objector, how ridiculous are threats if saints may not fall from 
grace. Would not a threat of that which cannot possibly come 
to pass be irrational? Can God threaten what by his own decree he 
has rendered impossible ? There appears to be in this a mystery 
which the objector cannot comprehend. His difficulty is just 
here. If everything is decreed, then he supposeth that they 
must be viewed in this relation. We do not imagine such a 
thing. As respects ourselves, we must act as if there were no 
such a thing as decrees. Now it is only when viewed in 
connection with the eternal and immutable decree of God that 
a declension from grace is impossible. Considered in its own 
nature it is by no means an impossible thing. Abstracted from 
the divine purpose, the very nature of things shows that it 
would be likely to take place ; yea, further, that it would 
certainly come to pass. Viewing the matter then in this light, 
where is the irrationality of a threat ? Where is the difficulty 
in perceiving its consistency ? But if the objector will not assent 
to the correctness of our reasoning, we have a plain case in the 
story of Paul, where this truth is so plainly set forth that he 



172 



THEIR UNCTION. 



cannot help perceiving it, if he will not wilfully shut his eyes. 
I refer to the case of the shipwreck. An angel stood by him 
in the night, and informed him that God had given him all that 
sailed with him. Here, then, was the decree of God that 
there should he no loss of any man's life. This, then, secured 
the safety of the whole company, and rendered the destruction 
of their lives an event impossible. Now, observe, atone time as 
the shipmen were about to flee from the ship, Paul cries out, 
^Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." Here 
then was a threat of that which God's own decree and promise 
had rendered impossible. So much then for the irrationality 
of the threat, in case of apostasy, on the ground of God's 
eternal decree. This example fully shows, that it is of no force 
to prove, that there is no decree or promise to render the saint's 
perseverance secure and infallible. 

There are some threats upon which the objector evidently 
puts a gross interpretation, in order that they may answer his 
purpose. He makes them refer immediately to true believers, 
whereas it does not appear that such a thing was at all 
intended. Hence we read in the prophecy of Ezekiel. *\But 
when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and 
committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations 
that the wicked man doeth. shall he live ? All his righteous- 
ness that he hath done shall not be mentioned : in his trespass 
that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in 
them shall he die. " 

What righteousness is this from which the righteous man is 
said to turn \ The objector would say that it was truly 
evangelical and spiritual. We maintain that it was merely 
a ceremonial or legal righteousness that is intended. We have 
certainly a foundation for this distinction. Paul declares con- 
cerning himself that touching the righteousness which was of 
the law, he was blameless ; and at the same time he was a 
blasphemer, and a persecutor, and utterly destitute of grace. 

We have another threat in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews. 



THE CONTINUITY OF THE TOUCH. 



173 



i 'For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and 
have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of 
the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and 
the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to 
renew them again unto repentance. " These words have been the 
cause of great distress to many timid and conscientious Christians. 
They have been supposed to contain a cogent objection to the 
believers final perseverance. We are pursuaded, however, 
that the objector puts a gross interpretation upon them. We 
cannot think that the apostle has here any allusion to a real 
work of grace in the heart. He shows how far persons may 
go and yet fall away. They may be enlightened. That is, 
they may attain such a measure of knowledge concerning the 
truth and nature of Christanity as will enable them to make a 
satisfactory profession of it, in order to their admission into the 
church. Balaam saw the visions of the Almighty, and knew 
the knowledge of the Most High, and yet he was a sordid, 
hardened infidel. They had tasted of the heavenly gift. By 
the heavenly gift here we are to understand the Holy Ghost. 
We have a warrant for this assertion from Peter's address to 
the inquirers on the day of Pentecost. u Repent, and be 
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the 
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Ghost. " And also from his address to Simon, ' ' Thy money 
perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of 
God may be purchased with money." The word, taste, does not 
signify believing. The expression is metaphorical, alluding to 
the manner of testing an article of food by tasting it. By 
tasting an article of food we may preceive it to be of an 
excellent quality. But tasting does not mean eating. The 
persons described may have tasted, perceived, that the benign 
influences of the Holy Ghost were far more excellent than any- 
thing they had ever before witnessed, and yet not have appre- 
hended these influences by faith. It may be objected to this 
interpretation that the Holy Ghost is expressly mentioned in the 



174 



THEIR UNCTION. 



next clause, "and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost." I 
reply that the latter expression is exegetical of the former, 
declaring more fully what is meant by the former. Their being 
"made partakers of the Holy Ghost . " does not necessarily 
signify a communion with the person of the Holy Ghost, but 
only with his gifts. The Holy Ghost, when put in metonyme 
with what the Holy Ghost produces, never means communion 
with him, and seldom the enjoyment of his sanctifying power ; 
but generally the possession of supernatural endowments. And 
it is evident that these in the times of the apostles were in some 
instances possessed by the unrenewed and unbelieving. k k Many, " 
said Christ, ; ' will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we 
not prophesied in thy name '? and in thy name have cast out 
devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful works ? And 
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you ; depart from 
me, ye that work iniquity. " And, even now, men may possess 
ministerial gifts, and be instrumental in edifying the people of 
God, and themselves destitute of grace. 

Again, the persons described may have "tasted the good 
word of God." Here the word, taste, is employed again, and 
signifies the same as before. Persons may perceive something 
of the excellency of God's word — may have felt something of 
its sweetness — that it is of a salutary tendency, and in their 
purposes of doing good, produced such hopes and joys as are 
described in the case of the stony ground hearers. Moreover, 
they may have "felt the powers of the world to come.'' The 
world to come does not mean heaven. If strictly rendered, it 
is the future age, and means the New Testament administration 
of the gospel, in contrast with the old. In this sense Paul 
uses the expression in this epistle, k k For unto the angels hath 
he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. " 
It is the New Testament administration of the gospel of which 
he is speaking ; and he means that it is not put in subjection to 
the angels, as to its erection, rule, and disposal. The word, 
pwvers* signifies miracles, and does not denote alone what was 



THE CONTINUITY OF THE TOUCH. 



175 



intrinsically supernatural, but what was divinely, because 
miraculously attested, that the gospel is true. Now the persons 
described saw the miracles of the new administration, and they 
tasted or perceived both the ministry of reconciliation, and the 
mightiest testimonies which Jehovah bore to its doctrines. 
Were they therefore convinced of sin, and partakers of saving 
knowledge ? Alas ! a people more honored in a sense, than 
they — a people who tried God, and proved him, and saw his 
works of love, and miracles forty years in the wilderness — 
"always erred in their hearts," and ignominiously perished in 
impenitence. 

But it may be said that the persons of whom Paul speaks 
were such as might fall away, and that, therefore, they must 
have been Christians in order to be capable of becoming apos- 
tates. I reply that the persons never were Christians, except 
in profession, and could renounce only what they professed — 
mere profession. Now Paul tells us from what these apostates 
fell back. They abandoned simply their ^enlightenment," 
their communication with miraculous gifts, and their observa- 
tion of supernatural evidences of the new administration of the 
gospel. In other words they expelled from their minds every 
favorable opinion of Christianity, and kept their persons beyond 
the sphere of all means, both ordinary and extraordinary, which 
were employed under the apostolic ministry for bringing sinners 
to a knowledge and belief of the gospel. 

But again, we may be told that the persons described are 
supposed to have repented, or it could not be said that it was 
impossible to renew them again to what they never possessed. 
I reply that they had made a profession of repentance towards 
God and faith in Jesus Christ, and received the baptismal 
pledge of an inward renovation. Persons may go thus far and 
possess nothing either as to change of mind, or external refor- 
mation, but the mere form of godliness. The repentance of 
these apostates amounted to no more than a profession of 
attachment to Christianity, and a docile attendance on the 



176 



THEIR UNCTION. 



ministry of the gospel. All these things may take place in the 
hearts and consciences of men, who are destitute of a real work 
of grace ; and are yet in an unrenewed state. Persons may 
have convictions, apparent earnestness, and deep concern about 
divine things. The old nature may be impressed, and alarmed, 
but the new nature not produced, and, therefore, in time of 
temptation, they fall away. 

(4) Another objection to the perseverance of the saints is 
taken from ths commands, and exhortations, and directions 
which frequently occur in the sacred writings. "Let him that 
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." Let him guard 
himself carefully lest he be drawn away from his course of 
steadfastness. kt Lec us therefore fear, lest, a promise being 
left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come 
short of it." The Scriptures abound with cautions of this kind. 
They are supposed to be pregnant evidences that true believers 
may fall from grace. They are taken as so many arguments 
that God has made no absolute decree that they shall not do so. 
To what purpose, says the objector, are all these exhortations in 
Scripture, if saints shall certainly persevere ? Are they not 
superfluous and vain ? We cannot draw from them any such 
an inference. Why, says the objector, it is easy to perceive 
that God could not, in consistency with his character, absolutely 
decree that they should not fall, and then afterwards caution them 
against it. What would this be but telling them to beware lest he 
proved false to his promise — lest he altered his decree ; and 
after all his determinations suffered them to perish at last. 
The objector seems to have altogether forgotten that God uses 
means in the accomplishment of his purposes. These cautions 
do not imply that saints may fall from grace. They are God's 
preservatives — the means AA'hich he uses to keep his saints from 
falling. They are necessary to caution believers against care- 
lessness, and excite them to greater diligence in working out 
their salvation. 

Was the caution which Paul gave the centurion and soldiers, 



THE CONTINUITY OF THE TOUCH. 



HI 



saying, ' ' Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved, " 
any evidence that God had not before determined that none of 
them should be lost ? Did the apostle intend by his caution to 
weaken the force of the promise % Did the previous determin- 
ation of God render the caution ineffectual ? If it did, then it 
is possible that the company might have been lost, though a 
faithful and unchangeable God had engaged that there should be 
no loss of any man's life. They were making preparations to leave 
the ship. And what would have been the consequence, 
supposing Paul had remained silent ? The great probability is 
they would have gone, and according to Paul's declaration 
could not have been saved. 

We view this caution then as a means which God used to 
bring about his determination. In the same manner they may 
be viewed in every other case. Christ told his disciples that 
they should abide in him, and yet he exhorts them to abide 
in him. This does not call in question their abiding in 
him, nor suppose that there was a probability of their being 
broken off from him. The design and tendency of it was 
to awaken their diligence, and make them strive harder that 
they might abide in him. Take another example or tw r o. 
Hezekiah's being informed that God had added to his days 
fifteen years did not prevent his using the means prescribed for 
for his recovery. Had he possessed a spirit to tempt the Lord, 
one might have said, as he had God's positive w r ord that he 
should be healed, there was no necessity for using the means 
prescribed for his recovery ; and he might go further and refuse 
his daily food as he had the infallible word of God that he 
should live fifteen years. Our Lord assured the apostle Paul 
that he should bear witness of him at Rome ; yet w T hen he knew 
that certain Jews had bound themselves under an oath to kill 
him, he took every prudent means to preserve his life. He 
might have said, there was no necessity of avoiding the band of 
ruffians who had leagued to take away his life, as he was sure 
that he would be preserved to visit Rome. But this cavil is by 

12 



178 



THEIR UNCTION. 



no means a new one. Satan told our Savior if he was the Son 
of God to cast himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, 
insinuating that there was no necessity of his taking prudent 
care of himself, for he had the promise of God that he would 
give his angels charge concerning him, that in their hands they 
should bear him up, lest at any time he should dash his foot 
against a stone. And Christ's answer to Satan ought to apply 
to every one who insinuates such presumption : " It is written 
again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. " To one, then, 
whose religion consists in forgetting the things that are behind, 
and reaching forth to those things that are before, and pressing 
forward towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of 
God in Christ Jesus, I consider the doctrine of the saint's 
perseverance in grace one of the most stimulating doctrines of 
the gospel. 



PART II— THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



The effect of the touch upon the hearts of these men of 
Israel was the forming of them into a band : a hand of men 
whose hearts God had touched. Oar business then here is to 
inquire into the meaning of the phrase, a hand of men. 

I. A band of men carries in it the idea of profession. It 
supposes a specific object to be effected, and consequently the 
maintenance of such principles as are adapted to effect that 
object. Without this no set of men could be properly entitled 
to the appellation, a band of men. These men of Israel were 
doubtlessly thus characterized because they endorsed the divine 
ordination of Saul to the kingly office ; and purposed with 
themselves that course of action which would issue in his 
establishment in the kingdom. 

God has organized the church for the specific purpose of pro- 
moting his own glory in the salvation of sinners. Hence he has 
made her the grand repository of the truth which he has revealed 
to man for his salvation in the Holy Scriptures. She is then 
essentially a witnessing body. Her duty is to preserve the 
sacred treasure committed to her ; and transmit it unimpaired to 
generations yet to come. She may prove unfaithful to her 
trust, and forfeit the appellation of a witness ; yet this is her 
ostensible character ; and she only answers this character when 
she professes the truth. Hence she is called, ' k A city of truth. " 
And then again she is compared to a city set upon a hill : from 
thence she is to hold forth the truth. And yet again she is 
called, "The pillar and ground of the truth." This does not 
mean that the truth is in any way dependent upon the church ; 
but the meaning is that the church holds forth the doctrines of 
truth. The language is figurative, and is borrowed from the 



180 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



custom of putting up proclamations and edicts upon the pillars 
that all concerned might read them. This teaches us that God 
has raised up his church for the purpose of exhibiting his truth 
unto the world ; and that her laws, ordinances, and worship 
might be seen in the most public, distinct, and formal manner. 

By the church's confession we understand her public declara- 
tion to all men of what she believes, that they may know on what 
professed principles they may enter her communion. From 
this some shrink terror-stricken, as if it was presuming to 
express matters better than God has expressed them. May not 
any person without any infringement of the rules of courtesy or 
religion ask me my opinion of any passage of Scripture that he 
does not perfectly understand ; and have not I a right, nay, am 
I not in honesty bound to return him an answer according to 
the best of my knowledge ? But this is that terrible thing, 
a creed, with which some are so much frightened. A man's 
creed is merely what he believes : every man believes something: 
therefore every man has a creed of some kind. 

Our Savior has required us to profess him before men. And 
how are we to make this profession of him '( By crying out at 
the top of our voices on every occasion, " We believe the 
Scriptures, vie believe the Scriptures f " And who could tell 
what our belief was 5 No doubt, the opponents of confessions 
w r ould cease their opposition, if the friends of confessions would 
accede to a confession in Scripture language. The friends of 
confessions, however, would not accede to such a confession : 
just because it would be no confession. Scripture language is 
indeed a declaration of what God has said to us ; but contains 
no account of the meaning which we attach to God's sayings. 
Doubtless, the phraseology of Scripture is not ambiguous. But 
the various errors that have sprung up in the world have made 
it so. Take an example: u We have seen and do testify that 
the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Who- 
soever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth 
in him, and he in God." Now the language of all would be, 



THEIR PROFESSION. 



181 



"We most cordially believe these doctrines ; we subscribe to 
them with all our hearts and consciences." This indeed sounds 
well ; but after all, it contains not one word to the purpose. 
We will find this out when we begin to ask each one what he 
thinks is meant by the phrase ' 'Savior of the world, " and, ' 'Son of 
God. " The Arminian will say, that k ' Savior of the world " 
means, that Christ died for all men in the world. The 
Calvinist will say that it only means that Christ is freely offered 
as a Savior to all men without distinction of race. 
In reference to the phrase, "Son of God," the Calvin- 
ist will say that it means, ' ' God manifest in the flesh. " 
The Arian will say that it means some created angel ; the 
Socinian will say that it means some peaceable mortal like 
himself. 

On one occasion when the Pharisees were gathered around our 
Lord, he put to them the following interrogations, to call forth 
what thoughts they had concerning their expected and promised 
Messiah : "What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he?" 

To these interrogations they replied in the language of 
Scripture, " He is the Son of David." To ascertain from them 
in what sense they viewed him to be the ' ' Son of David ;" he 
put to them an additional interrogation : "If David then called 
him Lord, how is he his son ? And no man was able to answer 
him a word." Had the catechumens lived in our time, they 
might have replied, ' ' We have given you an answer in the 
language of Scripture ; you must be satisfied with that ; for we 
cannot go further than our guide. " 

When we ask a man, then, for his profession of faith, we ask 
him, not for the words of Scripture, but for an honest declara- 
tion of the meaning he attaches to these words. Every man, 
by the rule of universal integrity, is bound to make such 
expositions of the word of God as will make it clear to the 
minds of every one the sense he attaches to it. In making this 
statement, we repudiate the charge of attempting to declare 
what God should have said : we simply express our sense of 



182 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



God's meaning by what he did say. We have yet to learn that 
there is any arrogance in giving our best interpretation of any 
portion of the divine word. Why, if we would consent to this 
chimerical principle and follow it out to its ultimate lesults, 
every spoken or written exhibition of revealed truth, in 
expressions differing from those of the sacred record, must be 
condemned, and Christians in expressing themselves on every 
religious subject would be restrained to the phraseology of 
inspiration, a restriction preposterous to impose, and impossible 
to observe. According to this principle, ministers need never 
enter the pulpit to explain the word of God. The moment they 
would attempt to express an interpretation of Scripture, their 
hearers would all be horror stricken with the idea of attempting 
to express the matter better than God. If it is admitted that 
ministers, without violating the supreme honor of the sacred 
Scriptures, may collect, collate, and classify their dictates, why 
may not something be done by the church in records, public and 
permanent, but still subject to revision and alteration ? 

In every department of ordinary science the mode of system- 
atizing principles is found to be greatly subservient to the 
investigation and communication of truth. Let it be shown 
that the system of methodizing is not of equal advantage in 
relation to things of God as in science. If we are commanded 
to "search the Scriptures, 1 ' and to "compare spiritual things 
with spiritual, " may we not state the issue of the search, and 
of the comparison, and show to the best of our ability the 
compatibility of revelation, the coherence and concatenation of 
its truths, the nature, and sufficiency of its instructions on those 
momentous topics which encompass and influence our duty, 
and our chief happiness? If a church intends no concealment 
of her principles, she certainly gains nothing by refusing to 
methodize them ; but does, indeed, deprive herself of one of the 
best means of marking her own changes and improvements, of 
instructing and satisfying inquirers, of extensively "holding 



THEIR PROFESSION. 



183 



forth the word of life, " and of assisting future generations in 
going u forth by the footsteps of the flock. 1 ' 

I have heard it publicly proclaimed that creeds are a 
detriment to the diffusion of the gospel ; and that if we would 
throw away our creeds, and go into the highways and hedges, 
we could operate with a great deal more efficiency. But what 
could we do in the highways and hedges without a creed ? We 
must teach the people something, and for this purpose we must 
have a summary of the truth. From whence does this outcry 
against creeds come ? From men who are receding from the 
truth, and find themselves tramelled by the doctrines taught in 
creeds. And yet, after all, these declaimers against creeds have 
each of them a creed of their own. They can reduce their false 
doctrine to a system ; but when the truth is reduced to a system, 
their cry is, "Away with it, down with it." There is cause of 
alarm when men begin to speak indifferently in reference to a 
creed. They may not in the first instance flatly deny the 
importance of a creed ; but will begin to speak of the superior 
importance of a good walk. Truly, a good walk is indispen- 
sable ; but a good creed is the first in order, as without a good 
creed no man can have a good walk. 

The apostle evidently refers to the profession of believers 
when he says, "Nevertheless, whereunto we have already 
attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same 
thing." He must allude to some code in congruity with the 
word of God, in which all can harmoniously consociate, and by 
which they could have a complete comprehension of each other's 
perceptions of divine truth. Without such a code there could 
be no concretion in the church. Nor is there any other mode 
by which the church can speak with one mouth, and the same 
things, than by her authorized organs, the instruments by 
which she states her profession of faith. The public profession 
of the church is that which she speaks. And when all the 
members of the church unite in believing, and professing, and 
maintaining that profession, then only can they be said to " walk 



184 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



by the same rule, " and k * with one mouth glorify God ; 15 for 
God is honored, and his glory promoted by the public profession 
of his name. 

This momentous intent the church cannot accomplish unless 
her profession be complete and unequivocal. Common sentiment 
among church members should be founded upon the great truth 
that Jesus Christ has given to his people but one system of 
faith and practice ; and that that system demands the unequiv- 
ocal assent of all the members. Which of his commandments 
may we disbelieve, and be innocent — disregard and be safe I 
The ministers of the sanctuary are not legislators, but executors, 
and have no distributing power by which they can set aside the 
claims of truth and duty upon the minds anc' lives of men. 
Faith and conformity are the only witnesses of a title to church 
communion. That faith relates to the truth of Christ, revealed 
to and professed by the church ; and that conformity is publicly 
stated in her creed. It is the faith of the church in its practical 
operation. From this view it must inevitably follow that 
defective profession and practice must preclude profitable 
communion : for how is all truth and duty to be taught, unless 
the church compiehend it in her profession, and exhibit it in 
her public teachings ? Would a defective exhibition of the 
principles of science be tolerated in teachers of schools ? Would 
not a teacher who was in the habit of passing over without 
correction the minor errors of his pupils, in reading, in grammar, 
in translations, in arithmetic and geography soon be dismissed 
from his place \ In philosophical computations, as in the 
calculation of an eclipse of the sun or moon, the omission of 
one correction contaminates the wdiole operation. Must error 
be guarded against as destructive in the smaller departments of 
human knowledge, and yet regarded as entirely harmless in the 
transcendently important business of eternal salvation through 
the blood of the Savior ? 

Now we call upon those who plead for a limited creed in 
articles of faith, to declare whether they would allow such 



THEIR PROFESSION. 



185 



limitation in reference to the precepts of morality. Speak out 
now, and let us hear what indulgence you will allow in reference 
to the precepts, 4 ' Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. 
Thou shalt not commit adultery. " Oh ! you allow that this 
would be wicked. True, it would be wicked ; but I cannot see 
that the wickedness of the latter would be greater than the 
wickedness of the former. Evangelical doctrine and moral 
precepts come to us under the sanction of the same authority : 
and the call upon us for conformity to the one is not stronger 
than for our credence of the other. Surely, God is not less 
thoughtful of his authority in the ratification of a doctrine than 
a precept : and if so, then unbelief is just as criminal as 
immorality. 

u But we cannot allow of unbelief." 

But when you present to your members a creed confined to 
a few articles which you allow them to credit their God by 
believing ; do you not virtually and practically say to them, 
that they may, in their faith and profession, statedly give him 
the lie in all the rest ? 

' ' But we do not allow of determined opposition. " 

Then you allow of a degree of opposition ; and surely where 
the mind is in any degree opposed to a doctrine, there can be 
no credence in that doctrine. You may shrink with abhorrence 
from the idea of limiting moral precepts : but if you allow of 
limits in reference to articles of faith ; you cannot preserve a 
pure morality : for in neglecting revealed truth, unbelief of 
heart and immorality of practice co-operate ; and it is true that 
with the vindicators of narrow creeds, the system of morality 
is as superficially regarded, as the system of gospel doctrines. 

But we cannot pass on without remarking on the plan of 
operating with two creeds ; one for the more perfect, and another 
for the less perfect members ; one for the ministers, and another 
for the laity. This goes upon the principle, that it is not much 
matter what the people believe, if the ministry are sound. But 
let an erroneous people into the pews of a church, and they 



186 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



will soon put an erroneous minister into the pulpit. All obser- 
vation confirms this statement. A ministry will soon become 
obsequious to public sentiment whatever that may be. 
According to this system, the members of the church believe, 
every one, that which is right in their own eyes. The minister 
must range his discourses within the limits of the little creed to 
which his hearers have acceded. If he preach the whole 
doctrines of his creed, he will oppose the credence of his 
hearers ; and then the cry will soon come forth, ' ' We will not 
have this minister to preach to us. " It may be said that the 
ministry should not truckle to the people in this manner. True 
they should not. But the system is a truckling system ; and 
truckling will be the result of it wherever it is adopted. It is 
a standing announcement of the inefficiency of mere standards 
upon these doctrines, when these doctrines are not sustained by 
the ascendency of sound belief in the members of the church at 
large. 

In so far, then, as the church neglects to profess the truth 
committed to her care, she comes short of her duty ; and is no 
more entitled to the appellation of truth, than a witness among 
men who would refuse to testify to the truth in his possession, 
when called by the proper authority. And how doubly 
criminal would be his conduct, if the facts committed to him 
involved the deepest interests about which mankind can be 
concerned. If the church keeps back any part of the truth to 
which she has attained, it is as much a violation of her faith, 
as if she should hold forth as much positive falsehood. 

And not only must she profess the whole truth ; but she must 
profess nothing but the truth. The Scripture is the test by 
which all the doctrines of the church must be tried. By this 
they must stand or fall. If the church as a witness for . Christ 
holds doctrines in his name which he has not commanded ; she 
becomes a false witness for him. So intimates the apostle when 
speaking of the resurrection of Christ which some denied. 
41 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and 



THEIR PROFESSION. 



187 



your faith is also vain ; yea, and we are found false witnesses 
of God ; because we have testified of God that he raised up 
Christ : whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. " 
Hence, the importance of most carefully guarding against every 
institution for which we have not a c ' Thus saith the Lord. " 
For every such offering will be repulsed with the withering 
rebuke, ' ; Who hath required this at your hand ?" Such 
innovations are most derogatory to the honor of the head of the 
church. This brings his cross into contempt by the adoption 
of practices more congenial to the corrupt dispositions of 
mankind. 

And this profession of the church should be the same in all 
countries and places. The Scriptures are not limited to one 
nation or people. They are subject to no change from the 
lapse of time, or the local transition of the church into 
different parts of the world. God is the same in all places, and 
in all ages ; and his truth is the same in the torrid and in the 
frigid zones. It is to go to the ends of the earth, and wherever 
it goes, it is of equal authority, and equally binding. Christ 
enjoined his disciples to make known his truth, not only in 
Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria ; but to the utmost parts 
of the earth. And he has promised and declared that his name 
shall be one, and his praise one throughout the whole earth. The 
truth quickened by the Holy Spirit is the life and the soul of 
the church. When she is compared to a house, she is built 
upon the truth ; when to a tree, she is c ' rooted and grounded 
in the truth ; " when to a speaker, she speaks the truth. 
Nothing, therefore, should be heard from her but the truth : so 
that to the whole extent of what she is, as the church of the 
JLiving God, she is but the truth, living, acting and performing 
all the functions of a spiritual body. So far as she falls 
short of this, so far she answers not her character, a witness for 
the truth. 

' ' I agree with what you say, that the truth should be main- 
tained ; but I think you are quite too exclusive : for surely, 



188 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



where there are parties it is not prudent to dwell on the 
differences between them. The consequence will be, we will 
produce agitation in the church, revivals of religion will be 
stopped, and everything will go to ruin. " 

You are mistaken if you think to promote a revival of 
religion by going contrary to the dictates of conscience. The 
principle that underlies this plausible pretext of liberality is a 
desire of pleasing all parties, and standing high with the world. 
This is the fatal rock on which too many split : it lowers the 
standard of truth, and defeats the very object which its advocates 
seek to gain by it. Is concealment, I ask, admissible with the 
gospel ? Can there be a question, whether the whole gospel 
shall be preached, or whether that which is offensive shall be 
concealed ? Did our Savior lay it down as a rule that the 
preaching of the cross should be modified to suit prevailing 
sin ; or that it must not be preached unless all are agreed to 
it? On the contrary, it was predicted that men on account of 
their sins, would reject the gospel, and persecute the preachers 
of it : and the appointed remedy for this was by no means 
concealment of the gospel, but a persevering and full presentation 
of it. It was never permitted to conceal the testimony of the 
gospel against prevailing wickedness. As to sin, if any 
withheld the testimony of the truth against it, they were 
themselves partakers of it. "Thou shalt in any wise rebuke 
thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him." 

Now what becomes of your doleful argument that inasmuch 
as there are two sides, two parties, the gospel must be silent ? 

' 'Inasmuch as it cannot speak with hope of doing good, if there 
is prejudice in the way, it must be silent, it must speak only 
when there is one side. If a prevailing practice is said by some 
not to be sinful, by others sinful, the gospel must be silent. It 
must be silent, because if spoken out it is sure to give offence, 
and the rule which Paul lays down is, 'Giving none offence, neither 
to Jew nor to Gentile,' and his declaration of his own course, 
'Becoming all things to all men.' " 



THEIR PROFESSION. 



189 



Those who are all things to all men would do well to consider 
whether their motives are equally single, equally pure with 
those of the apostle : we do not find that when he saw sin upon 
his brother, he kept silence for fear of offending him : on the 
contrary, he reproved Peter, and withstood him to his face. 
When Paul was in Judea, there were two such parties, one was 
for concealing and mutilating the gospel, so that it might take 
in the Jews and their justification by circumcision, the other 
was the party against compromise, the party for pressing the 
simple gospel rule. According to one party Paul must have 
said not one word against circumcision, and must not have 
permitted discussion on which there was difference of opinion, 
' ' To whom we gave place by subjection," he says, "No, not 
for an hour ; that the truth of the gospel might continue with 
you." Paul here teaches that by his maintaining the truth 
against these heretics, he was an instrument of preserving it. 
Truth will perish if it is not defended. We cannot have a 
revival of religion without the truth. 

I repeat it, that this carnal policy defeats the very end that 
is sought to be gained by it. It blights with a deadly influence 
all the bloom of Christianity ; robs it of its peculiar glory, by 
keeping out of view its peculiar truths. This means has often 
been employed, both to bring into the church those who are 
without, and for the purpose of retaining those who ought to be 
rejected. It has given rise to temporizing accomodations to 
suit the carnal desires of mankind. The institutions of Christ 
have for this purpose been changed and corrupted, both in their 
end and in their form. Many doctrines of the Bible have been 
rejected, and their place supplied by the inventions of men, as 
more in harmony with their own peculiar views, and less 
offensive to human pride. It being the great characteristic of 
the gospel to exalt the Savior, and humble the sinner, this 
feature must be effaced so as not to offend that boasted honor 
and dignity of man so much talked of in the world. Thus the 
cross of Christ must be kept out of view lest it should prevent 



190 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



some from enlisting under his banner. Such temporizing has 
doubtless deceived many a soul ; but one it has never saved. 
The Savior and his cross must always go together ; they will 
not be separated ; and that the natural unrenewed man will 
hate them, is most sure. And even Christ without the cross, if 
such could be the case, would not be loved by him. But when he 
becomes regenerated, and quickened by the free Spirit of the 
Lord, his language will be that of Paul's, ' ' God forbid that I 
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Like inventions have been employed to render the manner of 
worship, and the Christian follows practices agreeable to men of 
the world. The simplicity of the gospel has been exchanged 
for the enticing words of man's wisdom ; and practices among 
Christians ; at first, not at all to be tolerated ; at length become 
quite admissible, and finally thought to be altogether proper 
and commendable, as being calculated to remove in the eyes of 
the world that restraint which religion seems to impose on its 
followers, as calculated to show to the world, that it is no hard 
matter to be a Christian ; and that there is but little difference 
between those who serve Christ, and those who serve him not. 
It is true that to the real Christian, Christ's service is most 
easy and delightful, his yoke is easy and his burden is light. 
' But let no man think to serve both the world and Christ, for 
no man can serve two masters, for he will hate the one and 
love the other. He that is a friend to the world is an enemy of 
Christ. ^And let everyone that nameth the name of Christ, 
depart from iniquity. " And though we, or an angel from heaven 
should preach any other doctrine, believe him not. All such 
antiscriptural doctrines and practices are solemn mockery of 
God ; and by them he will never permit a single stone to be 
reared upon his spiritual temple. Christ's cause is inseparably 
connected with truth and simplicity. Truth is her watchword 
— her defense is truth, and her success is promoted by the ex- 
tension of truth. 

II. The appellation, "a band of men,' 1 carries in it the idea of 



THEIR SEPARATENESS. 



191 



separateness. When we employ this appellation in reference to 
any of our brethren ; we single them out as a selection of indi- 
viduals who have certain marks of separateness and distinctness 
about them, which for the time being, and for certain specific 
objects, distinguish them from all others. These men of Israel 
in banding themselves together for the support of Saul, were 
under the necessity of separating themselves from those men of 
Belial who opposed their design. It would have been impos- 
sible for them to have carried out their designs successfully 
while they continued in conjunction with those who opposed it. 
Herein they were typical of true believers, who are separated 
from an unbelieving world around them ; and distinguished by 
another faith, and another character, and other desires than 
those which affect the carnal and worldly. And let this truth 
be riveted upon the mind that this forms one of the most marked 
characteristics of believers. To be united to Christ and the 
world, to enjoy the world's friendship, and God's friendship 
at the same time, is an utter impossibility, kC Ye cannot serve 
God and mammon." If we be Christ's people, then we must 
be separate from the world in our habits, in our language, 
in our desires ; and practice the habits, speak the language, 
and cherish the feelings of our Lord. If there is not such a 
savor of Christ about us that men may take knowledge of us 
that we have been with him ; that believers may recognize us 
as brethren ; and that the world may not count us as one of 
their fraternity, then we are not 4 L a band of men whose hearts 
God had touched." 

Need I inform you that there is a dearth of spirituality in 
the church, an immense leaven of worldliness mixed up with 
the profession of the religion of Christ ; yea, a world within 
the church, as well as a world without the church ? The reason of 
this is, because there are so many who, while they are favorable 
enough to profession ; are nevertheless opposed to bearing a 
testimony against error. Their language is, "Believe your own 
principles, but make no attempt to disturb the faith of others. 



192 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



Say to them, 4 4 Brethren, you are doing a good work, we wish 
you much success ; but }'Ou must not tell them that they are 
wrong, nor insinuate to them that you are right." 

Here is the opening where the floods of error come into the 
church. Here is the great battle ground between truth and 
error. The devil has his strong force stationed here. Here is 
where the witnesses for truth meet with the most stern opposi- 
tion. If they would give up this point, the devil would with- 
draw his force ; for then he would have nothing to fight about ; 
but just rally on glutting himself with the trophies of victory. 
But the whole tenor of the directions of the Captain of our 
salvation to his soldiers is to this point. Under the old 
administration the Israelites bound themselves not only to serve 
God, but also to put away the false gods which their' fathers' 
served on the other side of the flood. When they entered into 
the tabernacle, they did so with their faces west, and their 
backs towards the east. The design of this was to testify against 
the worshippers of idols, who turned their faces towards the east ; 
and plainly intimated that the whole worship of Jehovah in that 
holy place was in opposition to theirs. They were solemnly 
cautioned not to give the idolaters around them any countenance 
in their abominations, ye shall not walk in the manners of the 
nations, which I cast out before you ; for they committed all 
these things, and therefore I abhorred them." 

This is plainly a feature in the New Testament church. She 
is to bear testimony not only in favor of truth and godliness ; 
but against error and defection. She omits this duty at the 
jeopardy of being a " partaker of other men's sins and acces- 
sory to plunging them into an eternity of woe. This is 
clearly the apostle's meaning when he says, ' 'Have no fellowship 
with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove 
them." This certainly implies that we have communion in the 
criminality ; and a participation in the sins which we do not 
reprove. We cannot plead that the guilt prevalent around us 
cannot be imputed to us, because we do not expressly teach 



THEIK SEPERATENESS. 



193 



error, or advocate erroneous opinions. If we do not, as the 
apostle enjoins, reprove prevailing sins and errors, we partake 
of the guilt, and cannot expect to escape a participation in the 
punishment. 

And we must not merely testify against error and revolt ; but 
against the persons who endorse the errors, and sustain the 
revolt. It is not sufficient to resolve with ourselves to do what 
is right, we must confidently and courageously confront those 
who do what is wrong, and tell them as Nehemiah told the 
enemies of the Jews, "Ye have no portion, nor right, nor 
memorial in Jerusalem. " Thus Paul made mention of Hymen- 
eus and Philetus in connection with the condemnation of their 
opinions. And we have also the example of Christ himself 
in this matter, who in his warning to the church of Pergamos 
said, ' 'So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the 
Nicolaitans, which thing I hate." In his personal ministry he 
not only solemnly reproved and warned those who held the 
truth in unrighteousness ; but thundered the severest threatenings 
against the Pharisees who had made void the word of God by their 
human inventions and traditions. He also warned all his people 
to beware of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing, but 
inwardly were ravening wolves — to beware lest they bring in 
poison and death into the lambs of the flock — to weigh every- 
thing in divine worship in the balance of the sanctuary — to 
make trial of every spirit by the standard of the word. 

But we are asked, ' ' Will you always be finding fault with 
others?" 

Yes, while they are wrong. The world in its present wicked 
state abounds with errors doctrinal and practical, against which 
clad in the whole armor of God we must wage the war of utter 
extermination. 

"But is this charitable ? " 

Yes, it is the only genuine charity. 

" Why, ' Charity believeth all things, hopeth all things.' " 
Can charity believe a falsehood ? Can she draw hope from a 

13 



194 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



lie? Read the whole description of charity : "Rejoiceth not in 
iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.'- That father loves his 
children the best who perserveringly endeavors to reform every 
evil habit, and every erroneous principle. The divine charity or 
love, as displayed in the gospel, corrects every defect, makes 
the man of God perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good 
works. Hence the reproof of evil practices, and arguments 
against every error in religion are perfectly consistent with the 
charity that k ' thinketh no evil. " Every other kind of charity 
is spurious and unauthorized by the word of God. 

If you saw a fellow man advancing unconsciously towards 
the brink of a great precipice, you would through anxiety for 
his safety instinctively cry out, to arouse him to a sense of his 
danger. How extremely unnatural would it be for another 
fellow man by your side, to touch you on the shoulder and 
quietly say, ' ' Do not be so unfeeling as to disturb a man's 
feelings so." You keep quiet; the man walks on, falls 
over the precipice, and is killed. What excuse can you make 
for not giving him warning 3 That you did not wish to injure 
his feelings ? Is the excuse valid ? Would not the word of 
God warrant us in calling you a murderer ? Just as a man is 
chargeable with the death of a person to whose death he was in 
any way accessory. Now bring this similitude into the moral 
world. See what multitudes are unconsciously passing on in 
the path of error, to the brink of the awful precipice of destruc- 
tion. We must not give them warning, for that would be 
uncharitable. They pass on and perish. Are we not accountable 
for the loss of their souls ? Let the word of God answer this 
question. ' 4 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou 
shalt surely die ; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from 
his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity ; but his 
blood will I require at thine hand." 

"But we cannot," you may say, kk prevail upon men to 
receive the word of God.' 1 

But we can fully and faithfully declare it unto them, and 



THEIR SEPERATENESS. 



195 



show them plainly their danger, and their remedy ; and in so 
doing we clear ourselves, even though they perish in their sins, 
6 4 If thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it ; if he do 
not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast 
delivered thy soul." Uncharitable to be careful for the souls 
of our fellow men, and for our own souls ! This keep-quiet- 
system is a soul-destroying system. It is just letting men go 
quietly on to destruction. More than this, it is linking arms 
with these travellers to ruin, saying unto them, "You are go- 
ing right ; and we will go along with you." 

In the government it is not counted uncharitable or undemo- 
cratic to hold forth a sound governmental policy against a 
corrupt one. Look, for example, at the situation of our 
government in the Southern rebellion ! This was certainly by 
far the most critical condition she was ever in since she was a 
government. In this hour of her peril a powerful party, which 
had for nearly half a century controlled her destinies, played 
treason, and lost no opportunity in embarrassing her in her opera- 
tions, and encouraging a great rebellion. During the gloomy 
period when the national life hung in the balance, and destruction 
seemed only to be averted by unanimous effort ; with what 
energy did the friends of the government hold forth their policy 
in direct opposition to a policy the most corrupt that was ever 
put forth by any party ? Neutrality was forbidden. Every 
man was required to speak his mind, and to act with decision, 
or be classed among the foes of the government. Is the same 
course of action in the church intolerable % Is the point at issue 
of less importance than is the gathering of the people to preserve 
an empire from falling into wreck — to preserve a nation from 
being wrapt in the fatal folds of poisonous Copperheads to be 
squeezed to death ? Is it wonderful that men should rally their 
last energy for such a purpose ? And why, when immortal 
souls are to be saved from wreck, and men taken in the coils 
of the old serpent the devil, to be rescued, should it be deemed 
uncharitable to raise a warning voice ? 



196 



i 

THEIR CONJUNCTION 



Yet multitudes cannot see the use of such an instrument. 
Would they have any difficulty in declaring the utility of a 
standard in war ? Yet under this similitude does the Spirit set 
forth a testimony for the truth, ' c Thou hast given a banner to 
them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the 
truth." What is a testimony then but a conspicious exhibition 
of truth against error, around which the friends of truth rally. 
It shows the true character of the opposition which is liable to be 
concealed under the cloak of zeal for the truth. It supports 
the friends of truth and draws a clear line of distinction 
between them and the abettors of error, and secures them from 
being confounded with the errorists or their cause. It animates 
them in the good fight of faith, directs them to their proper 
position, and strikes terror into the hearts of the enemies. 
"Oh, such hatred of men's persons ! " 

No, it is no hatred of men's persons, but only a hatred of 
their errors. It is suited and designed to do good to the 
persons themselves, by causing them to repent and reform of 
their evil ways, and by the blessing of God may be the means 
of reclaiming them, and bringing them over to the good way. 

"Such exclusiveness, such intolerance, such bigotry ! " 

Why, what do you desire? 

"That the forbearance in love which is required by the law 
of God be exercised toward any brethren who may not be able 
fully to subscribe to the standards." 

What is that charity ? 

"It is a reasonable forbearance towards every one who may 
be constrained to dissent from any article in the testimony." 

Such a yielding compliance, such simpering insipidity ! This 
you call charity. In what does the exercise of it consist? In 
cajoling the enemies of Zion rather than in protesting against 
their errors. Is this the charity that accords with the injunc- 
tion ? ' 'Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not 
suffer sin upon him. " Is it in harmony with the precepts ? 
"Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the 



THEIR SEPERATENESS. 



197 



wounds of a friend ; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. " 
Is it to be compared with the manly honesty of the men of 
olden time, who would tell their enemies boldly and plainly, ye 
have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem ? Now 
this is real Scripture charity. Yet this is what you call intoler- 
ance and bigotry. You name us wrongly, when you call us 
bigots. But we call you by your right name, when we call you 
wheedlers. How can you hold up your face to high heaven,^ 
and tell the great Jehovah that you have his truth in your 
standards, but you will not ask men to subscribe to it ; and then 
tell him that this is a forbearance according to his own law ? 
Oh! — 

"I fear, my friend, that you are forgetting the divine injunc- 
tion to render your reasons, 4 with meekness and fear.' " 

I am not a bit angry. Bat I do feel such a pity for you. I 
do acknowledge that those who in times of reformation con- 
tended for the truth, and to whose zeal for the truth we are 
indebted beyond measure did sometimes lose sight of this 
injunction. We may fall into the same error. But it is the 
truth we are contending for ; and who would not prefer gold, 
although somewhat tarnished, to base coin in its brightest 
luster? And when all zeal and earnest concern about discover- 
ing, declaring, and defending the truth, is decided and 
stigmatized with the odious name of uncharitableness, and when 
that indiscriminate liberality, which holds all religious systems- 
as entitled to our respect, is boastingly avowed and defended, 
is it to be wondered at, however meek we may be, if we should 
sometimes become somewhat irritated ; and like Moses at the 
waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the desert of Zin, when he 
exclaimed amidst the murmurings of a rebellious people, ' ' Hear 
now, ye rebels ; must we fetch you water out of this rock ? " 
He was not censured for what he said, (for indeed they are 
rebels) but for the spirit with which he said it. 

But we have not yet declared the full spirit of testimony- 
bearing. We may hold the truth by profession, and tell others 



198 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



they are wrong in adding human inventions and erroneous 
opinions to the word of God, yet if we hold communion with 
them, we are destroying our testimony, and bringing ourselves 
under the awful charge that we are not sincere in our declara- 
tions ; or if we are, our spirits mast be very vile when we can 
unite in that which we believe to be a sin. What must you 
think of yourselves then when you can unite in the worship of 
God with those who are indifferent whether Calvinism or 
Hopkinsianism is taught in the church ; or, whether the book 
of inspired Psalms, or psalms of human composure are sung in 
the praises of God? I refer now more particularly to commun- 
ion in the teaching ordinances, (as I believe none of you are 
yet so far gone in apostasy as to think communion with such in 
the sealing ordinances would be justifiable.) 

k 'What ! do you allow to exclude us from going to hear the 
ministers of other denominations preach?" 

Certainly, I do ; or rather not I, but Gocl himself forbids 
you, and I endorse his word, and press it upon you, "Cease, 
my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err. " 

"But if there is no error in the discourse that is being 
delivered, how can I be chargeable with hearing error ?" 

In answer to your interrogation I would call upon you to take 
into consideration that which distinguishes the different denom- 
inations of professing Christians from each other. It is not 
•Christianity nor may it be Protestantism. These they hold in 
common, and common things do not make a difference ; but 
certain errors which they hold, and we cannot hold ; or certain 
truths which they reject, and we feel ourselves bound to hold. 
No minister enters the pulpit merely as a minister, or as a 
Christian, or as a Protestant ; but more particularly as the 
maintainer and defender of those very errors on account of 
which we stand apart from them. It matters not whether those 
errors be expressed in every discourse or not. The separate 
organization of the body is for the distinct purpose of maintain- 
ing them; and their meeting together for divine worship is at 



THEIR SEPERATENESS. 



199 



once a full and constant avowal of them; and if we join with 
them, we are bidding them God-speed, we are partakers of their 
evil deeds. 

This view is in harmony of the injunction of Paul, "Now we 
command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh 
disorderly." The apostle is here speaking with regard to disci- 
pline in the house of God. By a brother we are not to under- 
stand a brother in a civil, but in an ecclesiastical sense. By 
disorderly walking we are to understand sinful walking — erro- 
neous walking. Error is a very great disorder; and the open 
and continued profession of it, is a walking disorderly. By 
withdrawment from such disorderly brethren we are not to 
understand a withdrawment from civil intercourse with them; 
but from church fellowship with them. We could converse 
with such persons in a civil way without giving countenance to 
them in their errors; but we could not join in church fellowship 
with them without doing so. To the same import the apostle 
speaks when he says, "If any man obey not our word by this 
epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he 
may be ashamed. " The apostle here speaks of the notice which 
the church should take of those who violated the principles laid 
down in his epistle. The companionship with such which he 
condemns is not civil companionship, but church companionship. 
He required them to note such disorderly persons — put a mark 
upon them, in allusion to the mark put upon disorderly citizens 
by the Roman censors— a mark, therefore, by which they 
would be publicly known, which can only be understood of 
church excommunication. To excommunicate such disorderly 
persons from the church, and yet continue to hold church fel- 
lowship with them, destroys all the ends of church excommuni- 
cation. One end stated by the apostle is, that the erring brother 
"may be ashamed," which end certainly could not be gained by 
holding fellowship with him in his error. 

That it is the duty of the church in her collective capacity to 



200 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



come out from those who teach error, and to testify against 
them, you admit; but when we come to what is testimony-bear- 
ing in reality you draw back; you cannot consent to go all the 
length of withdrawing from all communion with them. 

k T think it is my duty to hear the gospel preached when I 
can. " 

Certainly it is, when you can hear it in truth, and with a good 
conscience. But what part of the word of God will warrant 
you by the discharge of one duty to nullify the discharge of 
another duty ? While it is your duty to hear the gospel preached, 
it is your duty to bear witness to the truth. Now if you com- 
mune with those in their worship, from whom, on account of 
their errors, you have separated, of what account is your testi- 
mony ? It is no testimony at all; and you are really on the 
same footing with those errorists that you were before, and we 
may say have a greater share with them in their iniquity. 

4t You are speaking on the principle that by hearing the gos- 
pel preached in a congregation, I am communing with that con- 
gregation; whereas I do not commune with them unless I join 
with them in observing the Lord's supper." 

What! no communion in hearing the word ? The Holy 
Ghost in the days of the apostles joined the hearing of the word 
and the observance of the supper together, ' 'And they continued 
steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in 
breaking of bread, and in prayers." The word fellowship has 
the same reference to the doctrines of the apostles that it has to 
the breaking of bread. They both have the same authority. 
The hearing of the word is first in importance, for faith cometh 
by hearing. Then if I receive the word at a minister's mouth 
there is no reason why I should not receive the sacrament also 
at his hands. If I join with him once, why not always ( My 
continuance in another communion is an unscriptural schism. 

Now what is the end of testimony-bearing ? Is it not that 
error may be checked and put down — that erring brethren may 
be ashamed, and turn from their errors — that ourselves may be 



THEIR SEPERATENESS. 



201 



preserved from the influence of error, and the church of Christ 
kept clean ? Why were the Israelites required to remain 
distinct from the heathen around them ? Was it not that they 
might be preserved from walking in their evil ways ? Oh! but 
the heathsn were idolaters. What ! is the man not an idolater 
until he , "saith to the wood, Awake:" and "to the dumb 
stone, Arise, it shall teach ?" God does not regard the mere 
form and substance of an idol. All corrupt affections are idols, 
and Paul calls upon all to mortify them, as "fornication, 
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covet- 
ousness which is idolatry. " The same principle applies to all 
corrupt doctrines, all human inventions thrust into the worship 
of God. Those who turn aside to these things are as really 
idolaters as though they had framed for themselves idols from 
the wood of the forest, or the rock of the mountain ; and were 
continually employed in pouring out before them their impious 
adorations. 

Consider the diffusive and disseminating nature of error. Its 
nature is always to increase to more ungodliness. Hence Christ 
told his disciples to "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees." 
By this he means their error. He calls it leaven from its nature 
to diffuse. Consider also how natural it is for the corrupt 
heart to drink in the poison of error. Who can assure himself 
secure from its influence ? Now if we hold communion with 
those agpinst whom we testify, the end of our testimony is 
destroyed, and we are really in as exposed a situation as we 
were before. We could consistently unite with them so far as 
they hold the truth; but we could not do this without being 
partakers with them in their iniquity. How then is the church 
of Christ to be kept clean; and ourselves secured against the 
influence of error ? 

The principle then that we as a witnessing body are at liberty 
to attend on the ministrations of those against whom we have 
lifted up a testimony, when we please, is false. Its evident 
tendency is to destroy the character which God has given to his 



202 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



church, as a society holding the truth, walking together in 
agreement, striving together with one mind and one consent, 
keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It sets 
aside all discipline, and all bars in the way of conformity 
between the church and the world. It is the nurse of every 
corruption, sows the seeds of division, and brings the cause of 
Christ into contempt. 

' 'Then I suppose that none of the communities from which 
we have separated enjoy any divine blessing in their worship." 

I do not say so. 

"Then if they may enjoy the divine blessing in their worship; 
may not I, in worshipping with them, receive the same blessing ?" 

No. Your circumstances are very different from the circum- 
stances of the community from which you have separated. If 
the grounds of your separation from these communities are 
scriptural, you must in some measure feel the want of a good 
conscience in associating with them in their worship, which will 
deprive you of confidence before God; and thus prevent you 
from either asking or expecting his blessing. If your distinctive 
principles are good, you cannot look for the divine countenance 
in even seeming to give them up, though but for an hour. 

' 'You will at least allow that if I were cast in a situation 
where I could not enjoy the privileges of the gospel in our own 
church, I might fellowship with the purest I could find in the 
place. " 

No, I cannot allow this. This principle if carried out to its 
full length might stagger any one who is fully attached to the 
principles of the Associate Church. It is quite undetermined 
in its extent; for there might be no other church in a place 
where a person's lot was cast, than an Arian church, or a 
Socinian, church or an Arminian church. Wherefore, he might 
worship at one time with the Arians, at another time with the 
Socinians, and at another time with the Arminians, and so on 
through every professed religious body. 



THEIR SEPERATENESS. 



203 



' 'I do not wish you to understand that I would feel at liberty 
to yield my faith. " 

But you would yield your profession of the faith, and what 
does the Spirit of God direct us to say 1 ' 'Let us hold fast the 
profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that 
promised." You must see that in this passage the Spirit of 
God not only requires us to hold fast our faith; but likewise the 
profession of our faith: and the latter is not to be given up any 
more than the former. The same spirit runs through other 
inspired injunctions, as, "Hold fast the form of sound words," 
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good," "Earnestly 
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints, " 
' 'Be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the 
Lord." All these injunctions expressly recognize a distinction 
between truth and error; and enjoin upon all Christians to 
maintain the faith against error, not only in their private 
capacity, but also in that which is public and social. If you 
yield your profession of the faith you cannot carry out the spirit 
of these injunctions. They bind you to cany your profession 
with you wherever you go. The primitive Christians were 
scattered far, but wherever they went they carried their pro- 
fession of the faith with them; and by this means the gospel 
was spi'ead over the earth. When do you expect your prin- 
ciples to be established on the earth, if you are at liberty 
to yield your profession of them with your change of 
circumstances ? The more corrupt the community is, in which 
your lot may be cast, the louder is the call upon you to hold 
fast your profession of the faith. There is no necessity for a 
person to put himself in such a situation that he cannot enjoy 
a regular dispensation of gospel ordinances according to his 
profession. If a person should find himself so situated, as 
religion is paramount to all worldly considerations, it would 
be his duty to sacrifice profit to a good conscience by going 
where he can have an opportunity of serving God in the manner 
he thinks best. 



204 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



' 1 Then we must count all other denominations wrong but 
ourselves." 

Yes, on the points in regard to which we differ from them. 
In separating from them, we told them they were wrong on 
these points. We continue to tell them so by our profession. 
We statedly oppose them. We will not go to their communion 
table. We will not submit to their church discipline. We do 
all we can to thin their ranks and add numbers to our own. 
Yet we can occasionally worship with them, and for a time 
make ourselves one body with them, and when we are remon- 
strated with on the inconsistency of such conduct, we cry out, 
4 'Is everybody wrong but ourselves ?" If men would act thus 
in civil life, they would be abhorred; and it is only owing to 
the blindness of men's minds, that this conduct, when practiced 
about religion, is not counted equally odious. 

III. Their Union. — All being touched by the same omnip- 
otent finger, producing the same spirit of grace in all, like kin- 
dred streams they naturally flowed together. Of the converts at 
at Jerusalem it is said, ' 4 The multitude of them that believed 
were of one heart and of one soul. " They w T ere so united in 
faith and love, that how various soever their natural tempers 
were, and how much soever they had been strangers to 
one another, and of different sects and parties before, 
they were now entirely harmonious, and heartily affectionate 
one to another, without distinction; because they were all 
animated by one soul. Feeling the same wants, being at- 
tracted to the same source of relief, they assembled and 
blended together. They had many hearts before, they ' 4 fol- 
lowed divers lusts and pleasures," they turned every 
man to his own way. From these various wanderings, they 
now return, and enter, and travel one and the same way. Grace 
produces a unity; and a unity it will always produce — a unity 
of sentiment — of reliance and inclination — of tastes — of hopes 
and fears — of joys and sorrows. 

Christianity, then, being one in her nature, spirit, and 



THEIK UNION. 



205 



affinities, division cannot be regarded as harmless. Christ's 
mind is much set on the unity of the church, ' 1 My dove, my 
undefiled is but one." There is indeed an invisible union 
existing among all the members of Christ's mystical body, by 
which his beloved may be said to be one; but the glory and 
beauty of the visible body is just in proportion as it approxi- 
mates to the true state of the invisible; and this is that beauty 
in the spouse which Christ so greatly desires. It must not be 
supposed that this union is impracticable; neither must we 
suppose that it is of easy attainment. He must, indeed, be a 
very ignorant man— ignorant of human nature, and ignorant of 
the history of the church, who does not see that it is a subject 
encompassed with difficulties of the most serious kind. It is 
very easy indeed for a good-natured, easy indifference to cry 
out, ' ' Lay down your quarrels, make mutual concessions and 
mutual advances; dismiss angry contentions about the circum- 
stantials; adhere only to the fundamentals of Christianity — only 
to the essentials of salvation, and all will be well." However 
amiable the disposition from which such proposals proceed, and 
however desirable the end after which they seem to aspire, they 
mistake the only true basis of Christian union, and altogether 
overlook the principal difficulties of the subject. But whatever 
be the difficulties with which the subject is encompassed, the 
promise of the faithful and true witness is, ' ' Ephraim shall not 
envy Judah, nor Judah vex Ephraim." u There shall be one 
Lord and his name one. " 41 Thy watchmen shall lift up the 
voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall 
see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. " 

Whatever God has engaged himself for in promise, he will 
surely fulfil, and it is our duty to make the matter of the promise 
the object of our persevering and practical endeavors. For 
this unity Christ intercedes. ' ' Neither pray I for these alone, 
but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 

that they all may be one I in them, and thou in me, 

that they may be made perfect in one. " This unity Christ 



206 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



enjoins us to keep, "Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith 

ye are called endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit 

in the bond of peace." This unity Christ has promised to give, 
' ' I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear 
me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after 
them. " From this we learn the great importance which attaches 
to the visible unity of the church. 

Every true Christian, then, will, in the spirit of his master, 
labor and pray for the unity of the church. Christ intercedes 
for it; he has promised it, and he will give it; but until he 
gives it, we ought not to become impatient and say, we will 
have a union anyhow. This cannot be. We may bring con- 
flicting elements into a body and call it one, but it is not one. 
The attempt to put it in motion will develop the fact; for like 
a disproportionate machine, it will not work without jarring, if 
it works at all; and if it is forced, it will fly to pieces. Opposing 
minds will join in controversy, and the result will be mutual 
alienation. 

I know it is proposed to remedy this evil by the law of a 
false charity — the silent abandonment of mutual differences of 
opinion. Confessedly this would not be a union in the truth; 
but an effectual disunion, by a criminal abandonment of the 
truth. This is worse than mere indifference to the truth. 
When truth is merely neglected, all who are so disposed are at 
liberty to vindicate it; but when it is abandoned by compact, 
any maintenance of it is a violation of the principles of the 
compact. 

I know it is expected, that under the wise management of a 
few sonnd men, error will die. But error will not die of itself. 
It must be killed. And how can men kill it, however sound 
they may be, who have bound themselves not to strike it ? But 
allowing them to manage to the best purpose they can, they 
cannot outmanage their more wily opponents, tk For the children 
of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of 
light." 



THEIR UNION. 



207 



This base and selfish principle does not effect to deny the 
truth; but really it is the murderous assassin of truth. It holds 
back certain principles of truth, under the idea that it would 
not be safe to hold them forth. It is always safe to do right; 
never safe to do wrong. But may we not sometimes act from 
expediency ? Yes, if it is based in right: but it is never based 
in right, if it touches a principle. There are certain tldngs 
that may not be right to do under certain circumstances, that 
are right enough in themselves, and very right to be done under 
other circumstances; but it is never safe, it is never right to 
waive a principle. This is evidently Paul's meaning when he 
says, "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not 
expedient. " If we give expediency the pre-emption of right, 
the result will be confusion. Positive right is a strict master; 
and so demanding in his claims that only honest minds are subject 
to his orders. He always, however, trains very faithful serv- 
ants; and never fails to promote their true interest and happiness. 

Expediency, so yielding in her claims, is always the favorite 
of selfish minds. She is a very indulgent mother, but always 
spoils her children; and on account of the dimness of her vision, 
is always sure to lead them into mazes of difficulty. And 
being, too, of a very nervous temperament, she is always in a 
quiver, and often frightens her children with terrible paroxysms. 
Hence we can only find peace by working according to the law 
of right; because no question is ever settled that is not settled 
right. It will always be on a gibber filling the mind with 
continued perplexity; and finally, it will go with a tremendous 
crash. 

Our nation has afforded us an example of the sad conse- 
quences of this carnal expediency. Bound together by bands 
which we thought could not be broken, we have been ready to 
fall to pieces. Our energies were weakened. The sword of 
an internal war was drinking our blood, and wasting our 
treasures. And why was this ? Because our fathers in the 
framing of the national constitution, for the sake of obtaining 



208 



THEIR CONJUNCTION' 



a present peace, tolerated the sin of slave-holding. They knew 
that it was inconsistent with liberty ; and consequently, incon- 
sistent with the just provisions of a constitution which secured, 
with all the authority of law, justice and liberty to all men. 
But they vainly supposed that under the rapid progress of the 
principles of liberty slavery would soon vanish away ; and thus 
they would be saved from the hazard of destroying it by 
positive enactment, which they feared might prevent the coal- 
escence of the slave-holding states. 

But time will not eradicate evil, nor can experience slip it 
away. See, there is a solitary thistle growing in the midst of 
your farm. Dig it up by the roots, and you are done with it : 
it will never trouble you any more. But let it alone, and with- 
out protection, without any cultivation, its prickly progeny 
will soon have possession of your farm. 

Thus in the beginning of the government slavery existed as a 
solitary thistle, in the midst of a farm. It was let alone. 
Some viewed it with indifference, others bowed down to it, and 
very few for a long time said anything against it. Sometimes 
when it showed some signs of uneasiness, some, to quiet it, 
would sing it a lullaby, u Hush, my babe, lie still in slumber." 
Still it lived, and worked its way, until the measures of the 
government fell under its direction ; nor until the message was 
sent us, intonated with bursting bombshells, and written in let- 
ters of blood, we would not believe that slavery must be killed, 
or die the nation must. 

Our endeavors, therefore, after the unity of the church should 
be under the direction of a wise and enlightened spirit, lest they 
should be altogether lost, and only involve us in new and more 
distressing perplexities. To avoid this we must reject every 
spurious and every insufficient basis. There is a union arising 
from ignorance, and indifference, the value of which no en- 
lightened mind is at a loss to ascertain. There is such a thing 
as a covenant with death, or an agreement with hell, against 
which we cannot be too seriously warned. There is a union 



THEIR UNION. 



209 



about which the great patron of superstition and the enemy of 
all Christian liberty is continually boasting, to which the 
worst disputes that ever resulted from even the abuse of liberty 
are incomparably to be preferred. ' ' Say ye not, A confeder- 
acy to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy ; 
neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. " Of every such con- 
federacy the divine Sovereignty says, ' ' Associate yourselves, O 

ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces take counsel 

together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it 
shall not stand : for God is with us." 

All past experience corroborates the teaching of God's word, 
the vanity of attempting to propogate the Christian faith by en- 
grafting upon its heavenly stalk the false policy of the world, 
and the rights of the prince of darkness. By these earns 1 
means ; by a spirit of sordid ambition and selfishness, are men 
attempting to cultivate the growth of Christianity. The result 
is, a laxness of principle has taken root. The soil is congenial. 
The poisonous plants flourish. The tree whose fruit is for the 
healing of the nations, is being converted into a spiritual ZJpas, 
the very atmosphere of which is death. Verily, the gospel has 
no cause for gratitude, either to such apostles or the advocates 
who plead for them. Complete and perfect in itself, it toler- 
ates no compromise. It must be wholly received or entirely 
rejected ; it must be all or nothing. Its doctrines must be tried 
by its own standard ; its defaulters are arraigned at its bar. 

' c I would ask you to whom do you refer in these remarks ? " 

I certainly do not exclude you United Presbyterians. 

"Why we hold the same doctrines that you Seceders 
hold." 

You United Presbyterians hold nothing. 
"Nothing /" 

I should have said that you hold to an agreement to hold 
nothing. To this agreement you hold inviolably. 

4 4 Here is a book containing our principles : read this book, 
and then say we hold nothing ! " 

14 



210 



THEIR CONJUNCTION 



I know your book contains good principles; but no person is 
asked to believe them. 

"How do you make this appear % " 

I make it appear from your organic act: "Whereas, it is 
agreed between the two churches, that the forbearance in love, 
which is required by the law of God, be exercised toward any breth- 
ren who may not be able fully to subscribe to the standards of 
the United Church, while they do not determinedly oppose them, 
but follow the things which make for peace, and things where- 
with one may edify another." 

4 £ Why, I cannot see that the act contains in it the element 
you charge upon it. It declares very plainly that the forbear- 
ance in love which is to be exercised is simply that which the 
law of God requires, nothing less, nothing more\ and surely 
you cannot object to such forbearance ! " 

Certainly not. Forbearance in love, which is according to 
the law of God, is a very pleasant expression; but the "Where- 
as, it is agreed," going before it, turns it into a monster. 

' ' I cannot see how it could have such an effect as that. " 

You will see it by looking at the forbearance agreed upon by 
the two churches. Here is the point — the very point which 
has all along been kept in the dark. Let this be brought forth, 
and immediately the Adopting Article assumes such horrible 
features that it will require something more stout and formid- 
able than a steam car to encounter it. 

' ' Why, surely it was the forbearance which the law of God 
requires that the two Synods agreed about." 

Let us see. The Associate Synod adopted the Basis of Union 
as a term of communion, without any exceptions. The 
Associate Reformed Synod reported, 1 ' That the Associate Re- 
formed Churches do hereby declare her acceptance of the Testi- 
mony proposed as a Basis of Union, by the Associate Synod, 
and overtured by the General Synod of 1S56 to the Presb}^ 
teries, in the confidence that any modification or amendments 
necessary to harmonize said Basis with the faith and practice 



THEIR UNION. 



211 



held in common by the two churches, or to render it more en- 
tirely acceptable, will be in due time effected in the United 
Church; and in the confidence that reasonable forbearance will be 
exercised toward any member of either body, that may feel con- 
strained to dissent from any article in this Basis" A motion 
was made in the Associate Synod asking them to define what 
modifications they wanted, or what doctrines they wished to 
dissent from. The motion did not carry. The Associate 
Church does not object to the definition of reasonable forbear- 
ance, given by the Associate Reformed Church; but they think 
it is not quite full enough; and, therefore, in their reply they 
add to it what they think is necessary to make it complete. 
They reply, ' ' We cordially reciprocate the confidence expressed 
by these brethren respecting mutual forbearance, it being distinct- 
ly understood that under the plea of reasonable forbearance no 
one be permitted to teach or to act in opposition to the doctrine 
and order of the United Church." The Associate Reformed 
Church would not agree to submit to this requirement. This 
is not to be wondered at. 

Surely, men will not agree to have their mouths chained. 
Indeed, let every man be what he is — speak what he thinks. 
Dimness must have begun to settle over the minds of the Asso- 
ciate Synod, or they would not have made such a request. The 
requisition was then modified by putting in the phrase, ' 1 While 
they do not determinedly oppose them." Then the Organic 
Act reads thus: "Whereas, it is agreed between the two 
churches that the forbearance in love which is required by the 
law of God, will be exercised toward any brethren who may 
not be able fully to subscribe to the standards of the United 
Church, while they do not determinedly oppose them, but fol- 
low the things that make for peace, and things where- 
with one may edify another." The Associate Reformed 
Church at first only asked the right of dissent from 
any article in the basis. In the Organic Act it is carried 
beyond the doctrines contained in the Basis, and made to apply 



212 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



to any doctrine in the standards of the United Church. A mo- 
tion was made in the Associate Synod, to require of the Asso- 
ciate Reformed Synod a practical conformity to the doctrines of 
the standards. But it was lost. And surely every one can see 
the utter futility of requiring a practical conformity to princi- 
ples they do not believe. 

Now the inquiry arises: "Does the law of God allow such a 
forbearance as this ? " God's law cannot allow that which 
would be an aggression on itself: and certainly a forbearance, 
which allows a negation of truth and duty, will, in its prac- 
tical application, be an aggression on the divine law of the most 
marked character. 

"You will surely give us credit for believing something.' ' 
Not according to your Organic Act. It allows the 
right of dissent from any doctrine in the standards of the 
United Presbyterian Church. Now, a dissent is a declaration 
of disagreement in opinion — to think in a different or contrary 
manner. Then the United Presbyterian Church will receive 
members who do not agree with some of the doctrines of her 
standards — who do not believe them. All that is required of 
them is, that they will not oppose these doctrines in such an 
open and decided manner as to produce distraction in the 
church. 

' ' Do not you allow a forbearance X " 

Yes, toward those who may have some difficulties with re- 
gard to some points in the standards — points which, for want 
of proper information, they cannot see as clearly as they would 
desire; but who in the meantime are open to conviction; and 
are willing to use proper diligence to attain clearer views on these 
points. 

"Why, that is all we mean by the forbearance in our stand- 
ards. " 

You would have us believe so: but it is not the forbearance 
which you allow, you give the right of dissent from any doc- 
trine in your standards. And when does a person dissent from 



THEIR UNION. 



213 



a doctrine ? Not while he has only some difficulties in his mind 
in regard to it; but when he has come to a firm decision in his 
own mind that the doctrine is not true. And then plainly your 
' ' adopting article " makes no distinction between the weak 
and the strong. This forbearance, it says, is to 44 be exercised 
toward any brethren who may not be able fully to subscribe to 
the standards of the United Church. " Any brethren, clergymen 
and laity, illiterate and learned: all are included. Now, this 
is not forbearance at all, hut a confederacy. For example, a 
father may forbear to correct his children for some misdemeanor, 
upon the promise that they will endeavor to correct their con- 
duct for the future; but if he agrees with them that he will cor- 
rect them only when they think they need correction, then they 
may do as they please: his forbearance with them is at an end. 
To use another similitude: I borrow one hundred dollars from 
you, and give you my note for it. When the note comes due, 
you can make me pay it by law. But suppose I am somewhat 
embarrassed in my pecuniary circumstances, you, being a gen- 
erous man, may forbear with me; but if the note is drawn up 
in this manner, that I may pay you if I choose, then your for- 
bearance with me is at an end. I may put your money in my 
pocket if I choose. 

" You surely do not represent us correctly." 

I represent you just as you represent yourselves. * To con- 
vince you of this I would call your attention to the proposal of 
your assembly to the Associate Reformed Synod of the South, 

* There is also provision for the ignorant. The applicant is required to declare his 
adherence to the crede of the Church only so far as he understands it. A child, with a 
very limited knowledge of gospel truth indeed, may honestly and truthfully answer these 
questions in the affirmative, and be received to the fellowship of the Church, provided he 
rejects nothing he does understand. These questions do not require the applicant to re- 
ceive what he does not understand. 

But the applicant may say: 'T understand this creed very well: but this article I do 
not believe; I cannot freely subscribe to the standards of your church." What then? 
Must we reject him if he does not adhere to every jot and tittle here set down? Not nec- 
essarily. In the act by which we adopted the basis of Union there is what is known as 
"the forbearance clause." It reads thus: "It is agreed that the forbearance in love, 
which is required by the law of God, be exercised towards any brethren who may not be 
able fully to subscribe to the standards of the United Church, while they do not deter- 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



to enter into a union with them. Hear the Assembly's pro- 
posal: "There shall not be prepared any formal new basis of 
union, but an agreement of the two churches to come together, 
each accepting the other's standard; and the churches, thus 
united, to be under the jurisdiction of the General Assembly of 
the United Presbyterian Church, with the same privileges of 
dissent, as to particular articles, always accorded to our own mem- 
bers, and with the understanding that the same forbearane in 
love be extended to any who may not be able fully to subscribe 
to these standards, so long as no determined opposition is made 
to them, and subject also to such revision of these standards as 
may be desirable to more perfectly harmonize the United 
Church." 

Questions of the constitutional power of the Assembly to take 
action were raised, and the Moderator ruled that no change of 
constitution is proposed; it is not necessary to overture the 
proposition. 

Blame us not for being severe. Here is the Assembly's own 
acknowledgement of the worst we ever said about them. We 
find no fault with your standards; but we do fault you for not 
requiring accession to them. 

minedly oppose them, but follow the things which make for peace, and things wherewith 
one may edify another." In case of an applicant who cannot fully subscribe to the creed 
of the Church, it is the duty of the session to consider whether the law of God requires 
them to forbear with him in his rejection of that particular principle. If it is among the 
less important truths of the Bible; if he will not determinedly oppose it; if his manner of 
holding it, and views respecting it; if his whole character and principle are such as to 
convince the session that his membership in the Church will be for edification and not for 
destruction, they may and ought to receive him ; otherwise not. For the manner in which 
the "forbearance cl use" is administered, the session is responsible to the courts above, 
and should always be ready to give an account. 

But it may be said that such an act of administration is inconsistent with the six- 
teenth article of the Testimony. That article reads thus : "The Church should not extend 
communion in sealing ordinances to those who refuse adherence to her profession 
or subjection to her government, or discipline, or who refuse to forsake a communion 
which is inconsistent with the profession that she makes, etc." Now, the applicant, re- 
ceived under the application of the forbearance clause, does not refuse adherence to the 
Church, or subjection to her government and discipline. Eef usal implies demand. The 
one is impossible without the other. But the session, in view of his general principles and 
character, decide to bear with him in his non-subscription to the particular doctrine in ques- 
tion; they do not require of him adherence to it as an indispensable condition of member- 
ship. There is no refusal, and consequently no violation of the sixteenth article — David 
A. Wallace, in Law of Membersh ip in the United Presbyterian Church. 



THEIR UNION. 



215 



"You are surely under a mistake; for do we not plainly de- 
clare in our testimony, that 4 An adherence to the Westminster 
Standards, and to the declarations contained in the following 
testimony, will be required of those seeking communion 
with us ? ' " 

If your organic act jingled with this declaration, we might 
have less to say. But to tell us that ' 6 An adherence to your 
standards will be required of those seeking communion with 
you;" and then tell us that you will receive persons into your 
communion who cannot fully subscribe to these standards, is 
simply absurd. Now, adherence to principles of faith means a 
steady attachment to them: but how can persons be attached to 
doctrines to which they cannot subscribe ? In plain language, 
how can I love doctrines I do not believe ? Is not this requir- 
ing what, in the nature of things, is impossible? Again, ad- 
herence to a system of faith means conformity to it. But the 
United Presbyterian Church does not ask persons to conform to 
those doctrines to which they cannot subscribe. What they 
require of them is, that they will not determinedly oppose them. 
Yet they require an adherence to them — that is, they ask per- 
sons practically to conform to them, and then allow them not 
to conform. 

ARTICLE XVI — of communion. — We declare, That the church 
should not exteud communion, in sealing ordinances, to those who 
refuse adherence to her profession, or subjection to her government 
and discipline, or who refuse to forsake a communion which is incon- 
sistent with the profession that she makes; nor should communion 
in any ordinance of worship be held under such circumstances as 
would be inconsistent with the keeping of these ordinances pure and 
entire, or so as to give countenance to any corruption of the doctrines 
and institutions of Christ. 

And then it must not be overlooked that it is only an adher- 
ence to the declarations of the testimony that is required of 
those seeking the communion of the church. ' ' An assent to 
the argumentation and illustration under each Declaration," it 
is declared, ' 4 cannot, with propriety, be demanded as a term of 
communion. " Now the arguments and illustrations under the 



216 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



declarations in the testimony are excellent. They are really the 
best part of the testimony; but are really no part of it. 

' < Why, you would not make arguments and illustrations 
terms of communion ? " 

No, not the manner of the arguments and illustrations; but 
the points arrived at in the arguments and illustrations. I 
could present the same objections to declarations being made 
terms of communion. It is not the manner in which things are 
declared that is the term of communion; but the things de- 
clared. Viewing the matter in this light, arguments and illus- 
trations certainly are terms of communion. If they are not, 
they are of no force. Every man is left to argue and illustrate 
for himself, and come to his own conclusions in reference to the 
declarations; and who in this case can tell what a man's conclu- 
sions are ? 

"We have ministers in our church who are just as sound as 
you are, and can preach as well." 

I do not question your statement at all. You have some 
able ministers, men with whom I could converse on theological 
questions by the hour, without differing from them. But it is 
not with reference to your ministers I am speaking now, it 
is with reference to the law of the house. 

" Why, you seem to speak as though our house had no 
law." 

I really speak so. 

' ' You do not think that we would give one person the right 
of dissent from all the principles contained in our standards ? " 

Well, it really amounts to this: You do not specify what 
articles you will give the right of dissent from. The Assembly 
have been asked to do so; but they have refused. Then we may 
conclude that it is no article in particular. Then your whole 
standards may be yielded, not to one person, but to a number 
of persons, each claiming their dissent from some article: 
and then, by and by, every article in your creed may be 
yielded. 



THEIR UNION. 



217 



' ' Surely there are some doctrines in our standards which a 
person must believe in order to be a consistent member." 

You would have us believe that there are such doctrines. 
We approach to see: but the " Adopting Article " meets us at 
the threshold of the church, waving its glittering sword over 
this sacred right — the right to dissent f rom any doctrine in the 
standards of the United Presbyterian Church. 

The brethren have launched into an ocean of dangerous ex- 
periment, heavily freighted with immortal souls. Under the 
wind of popular applause they may sail briskly for a while, but 
if they do not return to the harbor and put a helm on their boat, 
they will either soon be engulfed in the deep, or dashed upon 
the rocks, and there they will lie a miserable wreck, an example 
to succeeding generations of the folly into which good men will 
run when left to themselves. 

And yet the cry is, ' 4 Oh ! do not say anything against the 
United Presbyterians. Let them alone. If their adopting ar- 
ticle is not just what it should be, their heads are right; and 
they are doing a good work, and there are enough of faithful men 
on board the ship to steer her clear of the rocks you so much 
dread. If you meddle with her you will raise a controversy; 
and the attention of the people will be turned from experimental 
religion, and then all will go to wreck." But if the position of 
the United Presbyterian Church is such as I have endeavored 
to show, then this cry is preposterous. If I see the flames 
kindling in a dwelling, would I keep quiet ? No ! I might 
alarm the family, and produce an excitement in the neighbor- 
hood; but I would cry out at the top of my voice, "Fire ! Fire ! 
Fire /" 

I do not say that there are no faithful men in the United 
Presbyterian Church. There are — but they can do nothing. 
They may preach the truth, but they cannot turn away from 
the claims of the ' ' Adopting Article, " for it is a law — a consti- 
tutional law — and when it is appealed to, ' ' Scotch sternness 
and stability " will not avail them; they must yield — -yes, must 



21S 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



yield. Officers of the army of J esus, called to the post of dan- 
ger, and sworn at the altar to follow the standard of the 
Cross through the hostile legions of hell and earth to triumph, 
to honor and glory, must yield — must do more than yield: must 
with their own hands open up the gates to the enemy, and then 
stand and look quietly on, while he advances in solid phalanx 
to destroy the carved work of the sanctuary, and they dare not 
draw a sword against him, nor fire a gun at him. 

I do not charge the United Presbyterian Church with holding 
error. I have given her credit for soundness in the faith; but 
I will not be her guarantee for soundness of faith for the future 
— for the position she has assumed will inevitably lead her into 
error. She has yielded to the carnal taste of the present age — 
a lawless Catholicism, which would fill the church, and peo- 
ple heaven with men of the most dissimilar and hostile princi- 
ples and dispositions, a taste which affects to look down with 
contempt on that precision which meets the approach of doc- 
trinal and practical error, m every shape they may assume, with 
decided hostility. The United Presbyterian Church has opened 
up the door to error. She has agreed to receive persons into her 
communion who do not believe the doctrines contained in her 
standards. This is granting error all it asks. Let it have an in- 
fancy, and it will grow up into manhood before your eyes, and 
} T ou cannot prevent it. And then, when error begins to creep 
in, the doctrines of the gospel will begin to be undermined; and 
genuine piety will begin to leave the church, and the species of 
experimental religion that will be left behind, will do the devil's 
kingdom little injury. I know a good deal of dependence is 
placed on the influence which sound, faithful men will exert. 
But the word of God, and the experience of the past teach 
the folly of such hope. Admit men of loose principles into the 
church, and will you raise them to your standard ( No. But 
they will gradually sink you to theirs, and then your Christian- 
ity is frittered away; or, if it is retained in your creed, it is gone 
from everything else, and finally you can stoop to almost anything. 



THEIR UNION. 



219 



4 ' But, " says the United Presbyterian Church, 4 ' we will pre- 
vent this consequence by binding men to keep quiet." 

There never was an idea more characteristic of puerility. 
Bind men to keep quiet ! Why, you might about as well at- 
tempt to chain the winds and waves. The brethren understand 
the constitution of the human mind better than to suppose that 
human skill can twist cords that are strong enough to bind it. 
They may bind men to keep quiet, and men may agree to be bound, 
but what is it, after all, but children's play ? for men will speak 
what are the sentiments of their hearts — at least the sentiments 
of their hearts will pervade their spirit and conduct. And sup- 
pose they could succeed with this chaining process, what would 
they gain ? I cannot conceive what complacency they can have 
in the idea of having corruption bound up in their vitals; or 
how they can think they would be a sound body in such a situ- 
ation. 

And then is it right for a man to conceal his real sentiments? 
Can a man do this without violating the laws of dignity, hon- 
esty, and truth ? For heaven's sake, and the world's sake, and 
his own sake, let a man be what he is. Are we not in the habit 
of giving a man credit for speaking with decision the senti- 
ments of his own mind, even though they may be wrong senti- 
ments ? For example: do we not say, If a man believes that 
it is right to praise God with hymns of human composure, let 
him believe so ? 

4 4 Yes," says the United Presbyterian, 4 'let him believe so, 
but let him not sing them; let him keep his sentiments to him- 
self." 

Is this not asking a man to do what every honest man abhors 
to do ? Is it right for a man to sneak through the world with- 
out letting anyone know what his sentiments are ? If there are 
snakes in the grass, I want to see them; for if, ere I am aware, 
they entwine themselves around me, then how shall I extricate 
my quivering frame from their elastic folds ? 

It is a matter of lamentation that a church so respectable for 



220 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



talent, for piety, and soundness in the faith, as the United Presby- 
terian Church, should, in the exhibition of her principles, have 
assummed a position so ineffective. I know, in c ' such a coun- 
try as ours, where that charity is rampant, that appears to have 
as much respect for error as for truth, " a strict and inflexible 
exhibition of the truth will meet with stern opposition: and it 
does appear to me that the United Presbyterian Church has deter- 
mined not to encounter this opposition, or at least, that by her 
own legislation she has put herself in a position that she cannot 
encounter it if she would. 

I know, we, of the Associate Presbyterian Church, are 
blamed for standing out against the United Presbyterian 
Church. But if the Associate Church occupied the right posi- 
tion before the Union, she occupies the right position yet; and 
the United Presbyterian Church occupies a lower position than 
the Associate Reformed Church occupied before the Union. 
We have, then, a particular call to contend, with firmness and 
courage, for the good old doctrines of the Cross; and though 
we may be stigmatized as weak, illiberal, bigoted creatures, 
who disgrace this liberal, this enlightened age, yet under the 
rational conviction, that error is best opposed in its infancy, 
and that in proportion to its increase, genuine piety will leave 
the church, let us bravely meet the storm, and in dependence 
on divine grace, continue an unequivocal contention "for the 
faith which was once delivered unto the saints." The cars of 
latitudinarianism may be rattling around us, as though they would 
crush us the next moment beneath their ponderous wheels: but 
let us get right on the track, and let not one nerve of our bodies 
be seen to quiver. Against the faith we hold forth, in the in- 
flexible attitude in which it appears in the Holy Scriptures, the 
united efforts of earth and hell have long been directed — but 
they have been directed in vain. Truth is mighty and will 
prevail. 

Having now shown that the unity of the church cannot be 
attained by a compromise of the truth; I would now proceed to 



THEIR UNION. 



221 



show that there is as little hope of attaining church unity on 
the principle of church fellowship on the basis of mintship. 

Now, you Re-united Presbyterian, I wish to talk to you 
a while. 

"Why, would you not receive all true saints into church 
fellowship ? " 

I would not ask those applying for church fellowship to de- 
clare that they were true saints. 

' ' Why, what would you ask them, then \ 

In answer to your question, I must tell you that communion 
is - distinguished into visible and invisible. Visible communion 
is church communion; by which is meant the joint and recip- 
rocal participation of the privileges of the church society by all 
of her members according to their different stations and capaci- 
ties. Invisible communion is the communion which all real 
saints have with Christ. This is defined in the Confession of 
Faith, u The communion of saints.' 1 Saintship is the endearing 
principle upon which this communion is enjoyed. None but 
true saints are admitted to this communion, and its benefits are 
so extensive as to include all saints in every nation and age. 
They all have a common interest in the blessings of a free and 
complete salvation; and also a real, though invisible communion 
with one another. They partake of the same nature and sanc- 
tifying Spirit, "for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, 
he is none of his." They have an interest in the same priv- 
ileges and hopes; and will be made partakers of the same eter- 
nal and ineffable felicity: " the election hath obtained it." This 
is called invisible communion, because it does not come under the 
cognizance of man, either as to its nature, or the persons enjoy- 
ing it; and cannot be the subject of external regulations. Saint- 
ship, then, cannot in itself be a test of our visible communion: 
for how could a communion, that is invisible in its nature, be a 
test of a communion that is visible. 

"I would now r ask you to define what constitutes a visible 
saint." 



222 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



A visible saint is one who manifests his saintship by a pro- 
fession and practice becoming the gospel. This is the rule 
laid down in the Scriptures as the test of fellowship. "Open 
ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth 
may enter in." In this passage we have the church set forth 
under the emblem of a city, in allusion to the city of Jerusalem. 
The office bearers in the church, in allusion to the keepers of 
the gates of Jerusalem, are instructed as to the character of the 
persons they should admit into the church. These are set forth 
under the appellation, 4 'The righteous nation" — righteous by the 
imputation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. But because 
imputed righteousness is invisible, and can only be known by its 
effects, it is added, " Who keepeth the truth," — not some truth, 
but all truth. There is no other way of judging righteous per- 
sons. Nor have the officers of the church a warrant to receive 
persons into the church by any other rule. In harmony with 
this, our Savior says, ' 'If ye continue in my word, then are ye 
my disciples indeed." Again he says, "Ye are my friends, if 
ye do whatsoever I command you. " And yet again, he says, 
"By their fruits ye shall know them." According to this rule 
there is an important difference between the visibility and the 
reality of a person's saintship. Members of the church are 
saints by profession. If they be in reality what they profess, 
they are persons who are called out of the world, who have be- 
taken themselves to Christ, the Savior, who have felt the work- 
ings of his Spirit and grace, and who have devoted themselves 
to his service. They are saints by profession, therefore visible. 

"But your visible saint may not be a real saint after all." 

True, he may not be; but he is possessed of that which is the 
only test of real saintship — a credible profession: beyond this 
we cannot go; for it is only the prerogative of the omniscient 
God to know the heart. But if persons are to be admitted as 
real saints upon the ground of their heart religion, it, of course, 
follows that their avowed faith is not the reason of their mem- 
bership, and also that it does not exclude them. According to 



THEIR UNION. 



223 



this rule, the church visible is annihilated by being merged into 
the church invisible, the test of admission into which is saint- 
ship, or faith in Christ, and not merely a credible profession 
of it. 

To smooth the operation of this principle, the system of re- 
vealed truth has been most unscripturally divided into essen- 
tials and non-essentials. 

"Is not that distinction correct?" 

Why, I wonder if God has revealed a system of truths im- 
portant and unimportant; placed man as a judge to select that 
which is precious, and cast that which is dangerous away ! Rather 
I do not wonder if this is so; I positively affirm that it is not so. 
Certainly we are bound to hold fast, and hold forth all that 
the Spirit of God hath revealed, and that under the solemn 
sense of divine authority. This was undoubtedly the doctrine 
of Jude, who exhorts those to whom he was writing that they 
should ' 'earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered 
unto the saints." He surely did not mean the essentials only 
of the system of faith, but every truth in the system. It would 
certainly have a very awkward appearance for a saint, or any 
number of saints, to attempt the task of making out a list of 
trivial truths — truths that may be believed, or not believed; and 
yet, after all, be Scripture truths. All truths in the system of 
truth are truths, and therefore, are essential to the system. 

"But is there no distinction to be made in the system of 
truth?" 

Yes, it may be distinguished into essential and fundamental, 
or essential and vital. See there is a beautiful stone arch. We 
account for the shape of the arch by noticing how every stone in 
it is fashioned and placed in reference to the keystone. The 
keystone could not do without the other stones; nor could the 
other stones do without the keystone: so that all the stones in 
the arch are essential to it. Remove the keystone and the arch 
will fall; but remove any other stone and it is marred and 
weakened. The fellow of the removed stone having nothing to 



221 



THEIR CONJUNCTION' 



sustain it, gives way, and then the next, until at length the 
keystone is loosened, and then, down the arch goes. The key- 
stone of revelation is the doctrine of salvation through the 
atonement of our Lord and Savior. But every other doctrine 
bears a relation to this, either direct or indirect, Nor can the 
meaning of any truth be clearly understood until its connection 
with other truths is discerned. All truth, then, is essential 
to the system of truth; and no one truth can be removed with- 
out marring the system. The removal of one truth makes way 
for the removal of another truth, until finally the fundamental 
truth is touched; and then the work of destruction is complete. 
But we have said that all truth may be distinguished into es- 
sential and vital. As for illustration: all the members of the 
human body are essential to the body; but the brain and the heart 
are vital. A man may loose a leg, or an arm, or an eye, and 
still be a living man; but if he receives a stab in the heart or 
brain, his life is instantly extinct. But who will argue that if 
a man has a good heart, or good brain, the loss of a leg, or an 
arm, or an eye, is of no account ? 

' 'You have acknowledged that there is fundamental and vital 
truth. Now, what we contend for is, that in receiving persons 
into the communion of the church, all that is necessary is to re- 
quire their accession to these vital truths." 

Why would you require their accession to those truths ? 

' 'Because they are indispensably necessary to salvation. " 

Then it is not an adherence to these doctrines as truths that 
you make your term of church-fellowship, but their supposed 
influence upon the heart. And what is this but making, not the 
visibility, but the reality of saint skip, the ground of visible 
communion ? This principle is in direct hostility to the formal 
reason of faith — the authority of God. Its profligate tendency 
is obvious. All persons who accede to what is esteemed the 
essential principles of Christianity are to be received to the 
communion of the church, however much they may be opposed 
to the other doctrines. The question is not, how much truth 



THEIR UNION. 



225 



does it take to constitute a Christian ? We cannot separate the 
salvation of individuals from the whole plan of salvation ; for 
of the application of truth, in the salvation of souls, God alone 
is the judge. God has given us no catalogue of those truths 
that are necessary to be believed in order to salvation ; and 
shall we dare to speak where God is silent ? We have no right 
to say that there is any part of revealed truth that is not con- 
nected with our salvation. Although independent of this con- 
sideration we are bound to believe all that God has revealed, 
yet we have no right to separate what God has obviously con- 
nected in the whole plan of his arrangements. By so doing we 
impeach his wisdom. To us some parts of his revelation may 
not appear so interesting ; but this arises from our own igno- 
rance, and the narrowness of our views. Some doctrines of his 
word may be more remotely connected with our salvation than 
others ; but the connection may be no less real, though to our 
view they may appear more distant and remote. Our inquiry, 
then, as we have said, ought not to be, what doctrines are 
essential to salvation ? but what doctrines has God revealed unto 
us ? To all that he has revealed he requires our implicit faith : 
this at any rate is essential to our duty. The only evidence we 
can give of a religious spirit in our service is to act by the 
authority of the lawgiver. 

In making this statement I do not wish to be understood as 
insinuating that in our obedience we are to have no regard to 
our own interests. The great aim of God in all his actions is 
his own glory ; and this in all our actings should be our great 

aim ; for the divine direction is, c 'Whatsoever ye do, do all 

to the glory of God. " Our own salvation, however, is a matter 
of first importance, and to exclude a regard for our own salva- 
tion as an operating motive would be entirely inconsistent with 
our nature as sensible and rational beings. Wherefore God has 
wisely linked our good with his own glory, as our great end. 
This is very concisely and correctly expressed in our Shorter 
Catechism, "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy him 

15 



226 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



for ever. " In all his operations both natural and moral God 
hath uniformly kept both these objects in view ; and both 
these objects, in all our reasonable and religious exercises, 
ought to be duly considered by us. Each ought to have its 
own place, and its own degree of influence. The scheme, how- 
ever, of church communion on the basis of saintship excludes 
the glory of God from being an object of our action at all. 
According to this scheme the great inquiry is, what is the low- 
est measure of goodness consistent with a gracious state. Surely 
such a temper and such a feeling is indicative of an entire want 
of grace ; for true grace in its lowest degree inspires men with 
constant hungering and thirsting after more grace. The only 
way of knowing that we possess all the knowledge necessary to 
salvation is to know a great deal more. 

' ' But the saintship scheme of communion asks, if we know 
a sufficient amount of truth to obtain salvation, what more is 
wanting ?" Why the glory of God is wanting. In all his ope- 
rations, the Lord does all things for himself, that is, in refer- 
ence to himself — for the manifestation of his own glory. His 
own glory, therefore, is of more intrinsic value than the happi- 
ness of all creatures put together. If we could for a 
moment suppose the glory of God and the happiness of 
creatures to be incompatible with each other, then evidently the 
latter must give way to the former ; for, better that all creatures 
should perish than God not be glorified. A religion, therefore, 
that separates these two, or puts them out of their place, by 
subordinating the greater to the less, must be a religion false 
and absurd. 

Now, my Presbyterian brother, our Confession of Faith says, 
''Saints, by profession, are bound to maintain a holy fellow- 
ship. " 

" What do you understand by a holy fellowship ?" 

I will let Paul answer your question. "Now I beseech you, 
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all 
speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; 



THEIR UNION. 



227 



but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and 
in the same judgment. " Now how can you maintain such a fel- 
lowship on the principle of open communion ? Acting on this 
principle you have torn away the hedge, and wild beasts of 
every description huddle together in your church. You have 
Arminians, Hopkinsians, Independents, Episcopalians, Allans, 
and Socinians. Now you profess your adherence to the doc- 
trines of the Westminster Confession of Faith, Catechisms 
Larger and Shorter. Then you are bound, by your profession, 
to maintain these doctrines. But how can you do this, admit- 
ting your organized enemies to your communion % For example, 
how can you in communion with Arminians maintain the 
doctrines of the divine decrees, election, the final perseverance 
of the saints, imputation and substitution — the doctrine also of 
original sin, total depravity, and entire inability ? And again, 
in communion with Hopkinsians, Arminians, and Socinians, 
how can you maintain the positivity of the sinner in regenera- 
tion, to the utter exclusion of free will ? And in communion 
with the Independents and Episcopalians, how can you maintain 
the Presbyterian form of church government and discipline ? 

' ' But you have left out of consideration what the Confession 
of Faith says on the subject of communion. ' Which commun- 
ion, as God off'ereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all 
those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus. ' 
This declaration certainly excludes open communion ; if we 
take into consideration what it is to ' call upon the name of the 
Lord Jesus.' All the above mentioned denominations ' call 
upon the name of the Lord Jesus. ' But our Lord tells, 'Not 
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
kingdom of heaven. ' And this brings to our mind another 
declaration of the Spirit, 'Try the spirits whether they are 
of God. ' How are we to try the spirits ? By their profession. 
According to what rule ? By the law and the testimony. 1 If 
they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no 
light in them. ' " 



228 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



Then men who do not regulate their prayers according to the 
law and the testimony cannot be said to call upon the name of 
the Lord Jesus. For example, if men call on the Lord Jesus 
for regeneration, and yet deny that regeneration is wholly the 
work of the Holy Spirit, and ascribe it in whole or in part to 
the self-determining power of the will, they are surely not to 
be regarded as calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, because 
in this they do not speak according to the law and the testimony, 
the clear declaration of which is, ' ' Which were born, not of 
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but 
of God." Again, men who deny original sin, cannot in the 
confession of sin, and in seeking pardon for it, be regarded 
as calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, because in this they 
are refusing to confess that very sin for which every man was 
brought into a state of condemnation ; 4 'By the offence of one 
judgment came upon all men to condemnation. " And again, 
can men be regarded as calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, 
if when they profess to call on him for reconciliation, they 
deny (as Hopkinsians do) the substitution of Christ's obedience 
and satisfaction as the only procuring cause of reconciliation. 
Thus we might run through the whole catalogue of errors, and 
show that those that hold them are not to be regarded as calling 
upon the name of the Lord Jesus. But you by extending 
communion to them do, as far as the external action is con- 
cerned, say that they are calling on the name of the Lord 
Jesus according to the law and the testimony. Are you not, 
then, drawing near to God with a lie in your right hand: for 
when you commune with them, you externally consent to the truth 
of their doctrines, which the moral law binds us to abhor, de- 
test, and oppose. Travelling in the course you are now going, 
where will you land ? 

A respectable Presbyterian minister once asked me what 
denomination of Christians would be in the millenium. I hesi- 
tated, for I did not just like to say it would be the Seccders. 



THEIR UNION. 



229 



' 'Well, " he says, ' T will tell you. It will be the Presbyterians. " 

Why do you think so ? I asked. 

"Because you are all following after us," he replied. 

I made no reply ; but in my reflections on the matter after- 
wards, I thought there might be some truth in his remark, if 
the Presbyterians were going in the direction of the millenium. 

But surely, in the course they are travelling they will never 
arrive in the millenium. They, indeed, are not the foremost 
travellers in this devious way. There are some other denomina- 
tions, as the Episcopalians, who are ahead of them. They are fol- 
lowing close after them; and there are some other denominations, 
as the United Presbyterians, who are pressing close in the rear, 
and unless they turn back and get into the right road, instead 
of landing in the millenium, they will land in a grosser spiritual 
darkness than ever yet covered the people. 1 ' If therefore the 
light that is in thee," says the Redeemer, "be darkness, how 
great is that darkness ! " The darkness that is to cover the 
earth will be extreme, because the multitude will mistake that 
darkness for light. The shades of this awful night, we believe 
to be now spreading, and should we be asked, "Watchman, 
what of the night ?" we would reply, "It is almost midnight. 
We have a day such as owls and bats delight in. The day is 
night; the light is darkness." 

We can get an idea of the character of the people who will 
prevail in the millenium, by glancing at the account we have of 
the witnesses in the book of Revelation. "I will give power 
unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two 
hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. " By the 
witnesses I understand all those who in every age testified for the 
truth. The period of their prophesying is said to be ' 'a thousand 
two hundred and threescore days, " which according to prophetic 
computation is 1260, which is not the whole period of their 
prophecy, but that period which falls under the reign of Anti- 
christ, because in this period they will meet with more decided 
opposition — be afflicted and persecuted, and deeply humbled on 



230 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



account of the abominations they are called to protest against: 
for which reason they are said to prophesy ' 'clothed in sack- 
cloth. " They are called two witnesses also, because two witnesses 
are necessary for the legal establishment of any fact, and they 
are called two witnesses, also because of the fewness of their 
number in comparison with the Antichristian party. But they 
are sufficient in number to certify to the truth of the gospel 
wherever it is preached. "These are the two olive trees, and 
the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth." 

All faithful ministers, who bear testimony to the truth, 
and boldly enter their protest against the encroachments of 
the Antichristian party, may be primarily intended by 
these two olive trees. They are compared to olive trees, 
because of the grace that is in them, and because of the 
Spirit of God bestowed upon them. By the candlesticks, 
are to be understood churches which possess any measure of a 
witnessing spirit. The oil flows out of the olive trees into the 
candlesticks, which, being lighted, pours light into the sur- 
rounding darkness. So, though all faithful ministers may be 
primarily meant, yet all faithful Christians are included. And 
their ' 'standing before the God of the earth" signifies their hon- 
esty, that they have no secret designs, but act in a simple de- 
pendence upon God, in obedience to his commands, and 
will do nothing for which he has not given them authority. 
' 'And if any man will hurt them, " that is, will be enraged 
at their testimony, and emboldened by their seeming weak- 
ness to injure their persons, oppose their doctrines, or hinder 
their administrations, "fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and 
devoureth their enemies." By this we are not to understand 
anything violent, but simply the word of their testimony, 
"which would devour their enemies," that is, would confound 
them — flash conviction into their consciences, and fill them with 
such an uneasiness, that they would gnaw their tongues with 
pain. That this is the sense is plain from what the Lord 
spake unto Jeremiah: "Wherefore thus saiththe Lord God of 



THEIR UNION. 231 

hosts, because ye spake this word, behold, I will make my words in 
thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour 
them." "And if any man will hurt them, he must in this 
manner be killed," not by carnal weapons, but by the fire out 
of the mouths of the witnesses, for the weapons of their war- 
fare are not carnal, but spiritual, and mighty through God to 
the pulling down of strongholds. "These have power to shut 
heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy. " As in 
the days of Ahab, because the bounties of heaven were prosti- 
tuted to purposes of idolatry, therefore, God was pleased to 
punish them, by withholding from them the rain of heaven. 
This he did in answer to prayer. There is a manifest allusion 
to the prophecy of Elijah who had poAver to shut up heaven 
for a certain period: and he declares the fact to Ahab, "As the 
Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not 
be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. " And 
the apostle James, speaking in reference to this prayer, says, 
"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he 
prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on 
the earth by the space of three years and six months, " which, 
in prophetic style, answers to the 1260 years, in which the wit- 
nesses were to prophesy "clothed in sackcloth." Therefore, 
Elias himself was a type of these witnesses. Now the Holy 
Spirit sets forth the gospel and its doctrines under the simili- 
tude of rain, as he says, ' 'My doctrine shall drop as the rain, 
my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the 
tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass." And again, 
"He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as show- 
ers that water the earth. " Now the witnesses have the power 
to restrain these rains from falling upon the Antichristian party. 
How do they do this ? They separate themselves from the 
Antichristian party, and carry the gospel along with them where 
they prophesy; the consequence is the Antichristian party are 
left without the gospel; and then the same effect will follow 
upon them, as follows on those parts of the earth where no rains 



232 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



fall. This is one of the judgments of the Antichristian party: 
not having the gospel preached to them, no rains of efficacious 
grace fall upon them, they are left to their blindness, darkness, 
and hardness of heart. It is said also of these witnesses that 
that they have power over waters to turn them into blood. The 
allusion is to one of the plagues that was brought on the land of 
Egypt through Moses and Aaron, turning the waters of Egypt 
into blood: so that the Egyptians could not drink of the water 
of the river. They also like Elijah were types of the witnesses. 
The Holy Spirit makes use of rivers as symbolical of the streams 
of everlasting life which flow through the ordinances of the gos- 
pel. '-There is a river," he says, "the streams whereof shall 
make glad the city of God." These streams the witnesses have 
the power of turning into blood. How is this ? When men .turn 
away from a pure dispensation of the gospel and its ordinances 
by the witnesses, however zealous they may be in reference to 
their own doctrines and forms of worship; they can draw no 
nourishment from them. Divine blessings cannot descend upon 
a people through a corrupt medium. The prayers of the wit- 
nesses must be that they may not have success in their corrupt 
course. The consequence is they become corrupt; and in this 
sense they have blood to drink. And again, even a pure dispen- 
sation of the word and ordinances will prove a savor of death unto 
death, to those who do not love them; and in this sense also 
they have blood to drink. At the end of the twelve hundred 
and sixty years when the witnesses have finished their testimony: 
that is, when they have testified for all the truths of the gospel 
against the errors of the Antichristian party, "the beast that 
ascendeth out of the bottomless pit, shall make war against 

them and kill them." We are to understand by this beast, 

Rome Papal, yet not exclu sively; for all Protestant churches 
who follow her devices to gain influence are included, for they 
as really war against the witnesses as Rome Papal does, and is 
it not a truth that those who are endeavoring to maintain a faith- 
ful testimony are loaded with opprobrium throughout Protestant 



THEIR UNION. 233 

Christendom; and what is it but the spirit of Antichrist, the old 
popish enmity spewed forth under a new dress? This killing of 
the witnesses some suppose took place in those bloody persecu- 
tions against Christians not long after the Reformation. That 
these persecutions are included in the war of the Beast against the 
Christians is granted; but that these persecutions were the kil- 
ling of the witnesses we cannot allow. The Holy Spirit is not 
here speaking of these witnesses as men, but as witnesses. It 
is not the killing of their bodies, then, that is meant; but the 
killing of their witnessing spirit. When such violence is done 
to a body that the soul leaves it, we say it is a dead body: it 
has the form of a body, but there is no life in it: and when 
such power is exerted, no matter in what way against a wit- 
nessing body, as to cause the witnessing spirit to leave it, it 
may, like the church of Sarclis, have an outward form, a name 
to live, but is dead. Persecution never killed the witnessing 
spirit of the martyrs. No. They carried their testimony with 
them to the stake. "And they overcame him by the blood of 
Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. " The more they 
were persecuted the more they multiplied, so it grew into a 
saying, ' k The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. " 

The "dead bodies" of the witnesses, we are told, "shall lie in 
the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom 
and Egypt, where also oar Lord was crucified. " The street of 
the great city in which the dead bodies of the witnesses shall 
lie does not mean either Rome or Jerusalem literally; but Je- 
rusalem emblematically; that is, the professing church as held 
by the Gentiles, and become so corrupt as in a mystical sense 
to be compared to Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem — to Sodom 
for pride, filthiness, and wickedness; to Egypt for idolatry and 
oppression; and to Jerusalem, where Christ was crucified, for 
general enmity against him and his cause. Some confine this 
representation to the church of Rome, and the countries under 
her control, when she was in the loftiness of her might, and 
most successful in her passion, for crucifying the Lord of glory 



234 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



afresh. This is the view taken by Thomas Scott. In his 
commentary on this passage he says, "It should also be 
noted that this exceedingly depressed state of real Christian- 
ity seems only to relate to the western church exclusively: 
and probably in America, in Africa, in the East Indies, 
or other parts of Asia, there may be very nourishing 
churches at the same time. " This is a mistake. It confines 
popery entirely to the Western Eoman Empire. It supposes 
there is but one Antichrist, that he has his local seat 
in the city of Rome to the exclusion of all other parts of 
the Christian world. But let us hear what John says in 
reference to Antichrist ! "Little children, it is the last time: 
and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are 
there many Antichrists:" that is, they had understood from the 
predictions of ancient prophets, and of Christ and his apostles, 
that in this last dispensation of religion Antichrist would come ; and 
to put them on their guard, he would inform them that even at 
that time there were many Antichrists, persons who were op- 
posed to Christ — to his person and doctrines, and who were the 
forerunners of the great Antichrist. By these Antichrists the 
apostle did not mean open opposers of the gospel of Christ, 
but those who had professed Christianity, but who afterwards 
left the communion of the church, because they could not ac- 
quiesce in the doctrines taught by the apostles. ' -They went 
out from us, " the apostle says, "but they were not of us." 
Antichrist is called "Babylon the Great," implying that there 
were smaller Babylons. She is also called the 1 miother of har- 
lots, " implying that she had many daughters. And we are 
told that 1 'all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, 
whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb 
slain from the foundation of the world." This surely carries 
in it the general prevalence of error throughout the Christian 
world, through the whole period of the reign of the beast. "We 
feel ourselves warranted in the conclusion that the street of the 



THEIR UNION. 



235 



great city, in which the dead bodies of the witnesses shall lie, 
embraces in it the whole Christian world. 

"How can this representation be made to harmonize with 
the apostle's representation, 'Where also our Lord was cruci- 
fied ? "' 

Literally, Christ was crucified at Jerusalem. But he has 
been crucified in his members who have suffered persecution 
and death for his sake: and he is crucified in the false doctrines 
and immoralities of those who bear the Christian name. As 
the apostle says, "They crucify to themselves the Son of God 
afresh, and put him to an open shame. " 

"Please tell me what a dead witness is?" 

A dead witness is one who is all for peace; and has no spirit 
to contend for anything. 

' k I understand you, then, to mean that when the witnesses 
are slain there will be an entire suppression of a testimony 
for the truth throughout the Christian world ? " 

You understand me correctly. 

1 T cannot see how such a thing could take place in our part 
of the world." 

Why, open your e} r es and you will see how it can take place. 
Look at the bulk of the Reformed churches: are they not plain- 
ly , in their doctrines and practices, verging to the church of 
Rome ? 

"Do you think there will be no Christians in the world when 
the witnesses are slain ? " 

Yes, there will be Christians in the world, but amidst abound- 
ing corruption they will be obscured: they will have no influ- 
ence. It will be as it was at one time in the days of the prophet 
Elijah. Idolatry abounded to that degree that he supposed 
there was not a worshipper of the Lord in Israel but himself. 
"But what saith the answer of God unto him ? I have reserved 
to myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to 
the image of Baal." These men abominated Baal worship: but 
because of the general prevalence of that worship they were re- 



236 



THEIE CONJUNCTION. 



strained from giving a public testimony against it; and they 
were concealed. It does not follow that because a public testi- 
mony will be suppressed, faithful ministers silenced, and the 
administration of the ordinances, in the purity and simplicity 
of Christian worship, hindered, that there will be no true Chris- 
tians in the world. The witnesses may be killed, bat not 
Christians. As in the days of the prophet, there may be thou- 
sands of Christians, who will hold in abhorrence the Antichris- 
tian worship; and who will privately meet together for the 
worship of God; and that the Bible, and books of practical and re- 
ligious instruction will, in a great measure, supply the want of 
public ordinances during this short period. Yea, it may be 
that the opposition of the Antichristian party itself; and the 
suppression of a testimony will so develop their odiousness, and 
the excellency of true Christianity as by the divine blessing ex- 
ceedingly to multiply real believers during the interdiction. 

< 'But what does this mean ? 'And they of the peoples and 
kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies 
three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to 
be pat in graves ! ' " 

Before proceeding to answer your question I wish to notice that 
we have here a corroboration of my previous statement, that the 
street of the great city, in which the dead bodies of the witness- 
es shall lie, embraces in it the whole Christian world. Plainly no 
particular nation or nations are meant here. ' 'Peoples and na- 
tions and languages" are concerned in it. This view is still 
strengthened by the next verse, ' 'They that dwell upon the 
earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry." This evident- 
ly does not mean any particular part of the earth; but earthly 
minded men of every religious persuasion. As the witnesses 
are scattered over the Christian world, this street must be of 
the same dimensions. The three days and a half in which the 
witnesses will lie unburied, in prophetic language, means three 
years and a half. The nations not allowing the witnesses 
a burial means that they will keep them in remembrance. 



THEIR UNION. 



237 



•'It seems strange that they would desire to keep up the 
memory of a people against whom they bear such hatred." 

This is the very reason why they will not suffer them to go 
out of sight: on account of their hatred of them, they cannot 
refrain from exposing them to such ignominy; and in this way 
they will preserve them from oblivion. But while they will 
continue to snarl over the dead bodies of the witnesses, they 
will, at the same time, 4 'rejoice over them and make merry, 
and shall send gifts one to another." That is, they will join in 
mutual congratulations with each other, which they will ex- 
press by sending gifts one to another as was customary among 
the Jews on joyful occasions. The reason of this merriment 
will be, 4 'because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt 
on the earth." How joyful they will feel when they sup- 
pose they have succeeded in silencing a party who contin- 
ually tormented them, by exposing their errors ! This 
rejoicing, however, will be of short duration. "And after 
three days and a half," prophetically computed, "the Spirit 
of life from God entered into them, and they stood 
upon their feet." This is not a literal resurrection as 
some have erroneously supposed. The death and resurrection 
of the witnesses must correspond. As the slaying of the 
witnesses was not the killing of their bodies, but the killing of 
their witnessing spirits, so their resurrection is not a resurrec- 
tion of their bodies, but a resurrection of their witnessing spirit. 

"Is this resurrection to be confined to the same individual 
persons who were slain or silenced? " 

No, it is to be understood of all who succeeded them. 

' 'How can this take place ? " 

In a succession of individuals who possess their witnessing 
spirit; as John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of 
Elias. These witnesses, we are told, will stand upon their feet. 
The meaning of this is, they will take their position as witnesses 
to defend with zeal and determination the cause of God. The 
effect of this on the An ti christian party will be frightful, "and 



23 S 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



great fear fell upon them which saw them. " Truly, it will fill 
them with great consternation, to see a people whom they sup- 
posed they had extirpated forever rise and stand upon their feet, 
and that, too, when they were just about to bury them out of 
sight. 

' ' And why will fear take hold on them ? " 

They will fear being tormented again with the testimony of 
the witnesses — that they will lose their places of honor and 
emolument, and that the judgment which the witnesses predicted 
will fall upon them. But while the Antichristian party are 
filled with great perplexity, the witnesses receive the highest 
encouragement. ' 'And they heard a great voice from heaven 
saying unto them, Come up hither, and they ascended up to 
heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them." 

"What are we to understand by this voice?" 

Not a literal voice, but certain indications of divine provi- 
dence, by which the intelligent and observing part of mankind can 
descry that they are called upon to bestir themselves, "And 
they ascended up to heaven in a cloud. " 

' l What is the meaning of this ? " 

It is a symbolical expression for an exalted position. Form- 
erly the witnesses w T ere cast down and despised; now they are 
raised to a state of honor and influence. Their enemies beheld 
them arise; but they did not hear the voice calling upon them 
to arise. This means that they had not the faculty of discern- 
ing those movements of' divine providence indicative of 
the commencement of a great moral revolution. This account 
of the witnesses might be enlarged upon, but I have said enough 
to show how things are drifting, and who are the people who 
will shine in the splendor of the millenium glory. 

IV. The term, a Band of Men, implies that these men cher- 
ished for each other a Mutual Affection. Christ's subjects are 
one, and the bond of their union is love. Love is the unity of 
heaven, and is sent to make unity on earth. Like a cord it 
runs through all their hearts where it comes, uniting them all 



A MUTUAL AFFECTION. 



239 



firmly together, and connecting the whole inseparably with 
Christ. There are bands of men held together by incorpora- 
tion, and for worldly considerations. And persons who agree 
in little else may band together for the purpose of opposing a 
party whom they are disposed to regard as a common enemy. 
Professing Christians too, participating largely of a worldly spirit, 
may come together in apparent conjunction. In all these conjunc- 
tions there is no real affinity among the elements; like marble 
balls, they are held together while the electric current is bn 
them; but when this is removed they fall asunder as if, on a 
sudden, a sulky fit had seized them. 

The love which binds all Christians into one brotherhood is 
a Christian grace. It originates in the soul's salvation through 
the merits of the Redeemer, and is sustained by the gracious 
operations of the Holy Spirit. It must be distinguished from 
the love of consanguinity, or friendship, or interest, or gener- 
al esteem. Christians may see many things in each other to 
admire, such as an amiable temper, public spirit, ten- 
der sympathy; for Christ on one occasion, beholding a young 
man of respectable deportment, c doved him:" but Christian 
love does not rest in these things. u We know that we have 
passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren:" 
that is, it is an evidence to ourselves that we are spiritually 
alive, and that Christ liveth in us, when we love all those in 
whom Christ liveth. Our love to him inevitably goes forth in 
love to them. Nay, our love to them is just our love to him, 
recognizing, receiving, resting on him as living in them. For 
if Christ live in them, then his word is literally and profoundly 
true. u He that receiveth you receiveth me." Then, when we 
minister to a Christian brother in love, it is not he to whom we 
minister, but to Christ living in him. This is Christ's own 
testimony : ' 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of 
these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Then, when in 
Christian love we honor a Christian, we not only honor him in 
Christ, but Christ in him. The offices of this grace can only be 



240 



THEIR CONJUNCTION, 



performed at the foot of the cross. The elements of earthly rank 
or estate come not into the account. Christ's living in a person 
throws down all barriers of social or national separation. There 
is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, Bar- 
barian, Scythian, bond nor free; bu f Christ is all. Yes, Christ 
is all, if Christ is in all, if Christ is ail in all. 

The stress which our Savior lays on the duty of brotherly 
love should lead us to consider it with particular attention. 
"This is my commandment," he says, "that ye love one an- 
other." And again he says, "These things I command you, 
that ye love one another. " And yet again he says, ' 'A new 
commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another." 
Here are three arguments pressing upon us this great duty of 
brotherly love. It is not something merely that is good and 
beneficial for us — something that is recommended to us, but it 
is commanded. What are we doing then when we are keeping 
back the helping hand, the sympathizing heart from a Christian 
brother? There is more in this than mere indifference — there 
is disobedience in it — a contemptuous violation of the law of 
heaven. 

And to add still greater strength to this commandment, our 
Lord connects it with himself — he stamps it with his own au- 
thority. "This is my commandment." And he takes it to 
himself as though he were the author of it, ' 'A new com- 
mandment I give unto you. " There was nothing, hoAvever, 
new in it. It was only as John tells us, ' 'An old command- 
which ye had from the beginning." But, says our Lord, I 
want you to connect this commandment with me. I give it to 
you now as from myself. True, in substance it is 
a branch of my Father's law — that law that was delivered from 
the cloud-capped mount of Sinai; but so dear is it to me that I 
ask you to come out from the base of the trembling mountain, 
and listen to the voice of love coming from the groaning brow 
of Cavalry, that ye " love one another as I have loved you." 
I press this love upon you by a new motive, as well as by a new 



A MUTUAL AFFECTION. 



211 



authority. By all that I have clone for you, and am about to 
do, by all the kindness I have shown you, by the still greater 
kindness your wondering eyes shall soon behold, and my own 
example, I command you to love one another. And I com- 
mand you to observe this duty in a new measure, as well as by 
a new motive. It is not now as thyself that thou art to love 
the brethren, but as I have loved you. This is a very affecting 
command, Lord, we reply, but how can we obey it ? We might 
as well attempt to outshine thee in glory. But do not mistake my 
meaning, our Lord replies; I mean not that your love should 
equal mine, but that it should be like mine — not that it can be 
of the same strength, but of the same kind. There is an ocean 
of love in my breast for you ; now you have a drop or two of 
love in your breast for me — a drop or two resembling that 
ocean — a drop or two, or as much as your hearts can hold. 

The emphatic manner in which our Lord speaks of this com- 
mandment, "This is my commandment," raises it in importance 
above all the other commandments. This is the principal com- 
mand, he means, the end and scope of all others. And Paul, 
speaking of this commandment, says, "Love is the fulfilling of 
the law." And again he says, "The end of the commandment 
is charity y This commandment lay uppermost in Christ's 
heart: he knew that if it was carefully observed, the rest could 
not fail of being observed. Therefore he says, "This is my 
commandment that ye love one another" — my commandment, 
the only commandment that my dying lips shall give you: I 
give it to you because of its excellence and importance. Broth- 
erly love, then, is the highest of all duties, which is certainly 
a powerful argument with believers to cherish it. Not only is 
it commanded, but it is Christ's commandment, and the greatest 
of all the commandments. And yet, there is another argument 
which must have a powerful influence with believers to cherish 
brotherly love; it is the highest evidence of grace, "By this," 
the Savior says again, 4 ' shall all men know that ye are my 
disciples, if ye have love one to another. " Not only by mutual 

16 



242 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



love to one another will you know yourselves to be Christians, 
and know one another to be Christians; but by this shall all 
men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another. 

We may notice here the strength and tenderness of Christ to 
his disciples, in giving this commandment. He was soon to 
leave them; and one would have thought that his direction to 
them would have been, "Oh! do not forget me; let nothing 
chill your attachment to me, or banish me from your remem- 
brance." But his love for them triumphs in his breast over 
every other feeling. He saw them about to be left alone, hated 
and persecuted, and knowing how much mutual love would do 
to alleviate their sufferings, he says, "This is my command- 
ment, that ye love one another." 

An incident occurs to my mind which I think will serve to 
impress the truth I am now endeavoring to hold forth. It was 
at the church of God. A Christian lady of color got into a 
difficulty in getting down a flight of steps, by reason of an in- 
firmity in one of her limbs. A Christian gentleman, who was 
a white man, kindly helped her out of her difficulty. Looking 
up into his face with a smile, she said, "And do you love my 
Christ, too f " Yes, it is true, if we are saved at all, we must 
be saved by the colored man's Christ. I may be told that I 
must have a great fancy for colored people; but if my Christ is 
the colored man's Christ, why should I despise a colored man 
who is in Christ ? Certainly, Christ looks as well in a man of 
color as in a white man. 

Let me see a man leave a pew because a colored man enters 
it, or strutting past a poor brother that he may pay his respects 
to a rich brother, and I will surely decide that that man is not 
acting under the influence of a Christian spirit. The true 
Christian does not think himself above the colored brethren or 
the poor brethren with whom he may be associated in the wor- 
ship of the sanctuary. If at any time he misses them from 
their accustomed places, he is as much disappointed as if they 

ere the princes of the people. The reason is, he loves his 



JOINT COOPERATION. 



243 



brethren because Christ liveth in them. And wherever he sees 
the lineaments of his Savior, there does his affection fall. 

Whatever may be the personal excellencies of Christians, if 
they are not under the prevailing influence of this principle of 
love, they are not compacted into a hand. If the gospel makes 
no partial respect of persons on account of race, rank, condition, 
or character, but comes alike to all and works alike in all, 
without regarding or disregarding them on account of any such 
distinctions, can they be possessed of the spirit of the gospel, 
when they allow such distinctions to influence them in their 
likings or dislikings of Christian brethren 1 

V. The phrase, a Band of Men, implies the Joint Cooperation 
of these men. 4 'Two are better than one." By uniting their 
strength, they accomplish what separately they could not 
accomplish. Hence, in the accomplishment of difficult matters, 
men come spontaneously together on the principle that there is 
strength in union. By thus uniting they often remove obstacles 
apparently insurmountable, and make achievements seemingly 
impossible. Every one does a little, and all their efforts bear 
upon one point. Thus not only is the power of all brought to 
bear upon the point, but in the junction there is a self-aug- 
menting power, and the hands and the heart of each are en- 
couraged by the enlivening glance which passes from eye to 
eye, and the zeal which kindles from heart to heart. 

It is not understood that all should exert themselves with 
equal power. No, but each one must do what he can. In a 
machine there are wheels of greater and lesser powers ; and 
the movements of the machine are as dependent on the wheels 
of lesser powers, as on the wheels of greater powers. So it is 
in the spiritual machine : the least one is a wheel on which the 
movement of the whole depends. And like the wheels of a 
machine, each one must act distinctly. No good will ever 
result from one overstepping the province which properly be- 
longs to him. Each has a department assigned him, and 
each that department that is suitable to his talents. While 



2U 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



thus acting distinctly, they nevertheless act harmoniously. 

Allow me to set down the following simple incident as an 
illustration of this point. While the children of a farmer were 
playing on the lawn one day, one of them fell into the fish 
pond. There was a rush of the other children to the pond, 
and the poor boy was extricated from his peril. The children 
all ran into the house under considerable excitement. 

4 'What has occurred ?" inquired the parents. 

"Why," said a little girl, "William was running and fell 
into the water." 

"And how did he get out of the water again ?" rejoined the 
parents. 

"Why," replied the little girl, "brother James stepped 
down, and took hold of his jacket, and got him out." 
' 'That was well, " replied the parents. 

' 'And, " replied the little girl, ' 'I took hold of one of James's 
hands to keep him from slipping in. " 
"Well done," rejoined the parents. 

"And pa," said Jane, as if anxious to tell what she did, "I 
held James's hat." 

Then turning to a little creature that could scarcely lisp, the 
father asked : "And what did you do, my dear little Anne?" 

' 'O pa, I cried. " 

Now in" doing good all can do something. Some can lay 
hold on the jacket, and the hand and the hat can be held in 
more senses than one. Some can give their countenance, some 
their means, and some their activities. Some, as Aaron and 
Hur, can stay up the hands of Moses, while he brings down 
blessings upon all. And some can cry. 

And what good will crying do ? may be asked. A great deal 
of good. A poor man's tears will help me more than a rich 
man's dollars without his tears. Dry dollars are of little ac- 
count. There is power in tears. Tears move God. So much 
does he value them, that he is said to put them into his bottle, 



THEIR ORDER. 



245 



and in his book. He regards not our labors, unless we accom- 
pany them with our tears. 

Paul served God £ 'with many tears. " We must not despise 
tears. Surely my arm will fall powerless in the field of con- 
flict, if there is no one to cry for me. Paul set a high value 
on the tears of Timothy. "Greatly desiring to see thee, being 
mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy." The allu- 
sion is to the last occasion of their parting from each other, 
when Timothy poured out a whole flood of tears, on account of 
the dangers to which Paul was likely to be exposed, which 
made a very deep impression upon Paul's soul at the time, and 
afterwards gave rise to many touching reflections. 

The greatest difficulty in getting forward in the good work 
is, there are so few to cry for us. Crying contains within it 
two essential elements of success, the one is sympathy, and 
the other is unity. When men engage in a work crying, it 
shows that their hearts are in it ; and that they are together in 
it. If their hearts are not in the work they will not operate, 
and if they are not together in it they will not cooperate. A 
general knows the importance of cooperation, when in the day 
of battle he distributes his forces to different points. If there 
is a failure on the part of any one of the divisions, his scheme 
fails, and the battle is lost. This is one of the calamitous con- 
sequences of union by compromise of principle. Those on 
whose account the relinquishment of principle has been made 
will not work on these points, and the remainder have no 
means of making them work, nor can they work themselves to 
any effect. 

VI. Their Order. Every one is aware of the great beauty 
there is in good order. Every human society must have a set- 
tled plan of government and discipline, laws and officers for its 
regulation. The necessity of this principle meets us in all the 
ramifications of organized society. There can be no order 
where there is no government. We cannot but consider those 
as greatly deluded who open their mouths against all law and 



246 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



government. This principle is too well established by reason 
and experience to be discarded by the virtuous and wise. It 
has been found indispensable to a harmonious transaction of 
affairs among men. We look for peace and success only in so 
far as it is observed. We can conceive of nothing but inex- 
plicable entanglement as the the result of its relinquishment. 
We believe that no society of men can exist without the obser- 
vance of some rules by which to regulate their affairs. When 
laws are founded in the principles of right, and consistently 
acted upon, every one must be sensible of the excellent results. 
On this principle only it is that the beauty and glory of religion 
can be exhibited. Without order and principle here, there can 
neither be harmony, piety, nor consistency. It is a sure evi- 
dence of a bad state of religion, when Christians manifest a 
disregard for those laws which bring them under the obligations 
of duty. The degree of piety among Christians will just be 
manifested by the degree of desire which they have to conform 
to those laws by which as church members they are bound. 
How beautiful then is order in religion ! What heavenly dig- 
nity do harmonious professors of religion exhibit ! A more 
beautiful sight cannot be witnessed on this side of heaven. 
What rapturous feelings does it inspire in the pious breast! It 
is for this that all the godly labor. Those who are desiring 
to promote it may be sure of the good will and prayers of all 
Christians. 

What joy, what gratitude, what intense desire is kindled up 
in the apostle's breast, on hearing of the order and steadfast- 
ness of the Colossian converts. Though he had never seen 
their faces in the flesh, his spirit was with them, joying and 
beholding their order, and the steadfastness of their faith. It 
would be impossible to express the apostle's feelings here in 
behalf of the Colossians. He desired that they could just 
know what great conflict he had for them. He was fearful 
lest they should be moved from their steadfastness. Shall the 
fair scene which you now exhibit be disordered? Shall any 



THEIR ORDER. 



2±7 



foul spirit trouble you, any hateful deceiver beguile you with 
enticing words % Under the influence of such a fear as this what 
prayers are poured out in their behalf, what animated exhor- 
tation to increasing steadfastness and assiduity in religion ! ' 'As 
ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye 
in him ; rooted and built up in him, and established in the 
faith." From this it is evident that order and steadfastness in 
the faith are linked together, so that the one cannot subsist 
without the other. 

Christ declares that he has a kingdom — a kingdom in the 
world, though not of the world ; and must therefore have a 
visible form, conducted by men according to the duties of 
government and discipline which he has enjoined on his church. 

Indeed, a church without a government would be an anom- 
aly. It cannot be supposed that he, who is a God of order, 
who moves the material universe in harmony, whose providence 
extends to all his creatures and all their actions ; who at the 
same time regulates the meanest reptile that crawls upon the 
earth, and the mightiest angel that stands before his throne ; 
would leave his church which is called the beloved of his soul, 
to the care of weak, erring men, without a wall or a hedge, so 
that all passers by might pluck and make of her a prey. 

The church then is by no means to be considered as a mere 
voluntary association ; but as a body called out of the world, 
created by divine institution, and created for the express pur- 
pose of bearing testimony for Christ in the midst of a revolted 
and rebellious world ; and maintaining in their purity the 
truths and ordinances which he has appointed. The members 
of this body, therefore, by the act of uniting themselves with 
it, profess to believe certain doctrines, and to be under obliga- 
tions to perform certain duties, and to be bound to possess a 
certain character. Of course, the very purpose for which, and 
the very terms on which the master has founded this body, and 
bound its members, necessarily imply not only the right but 
the duty of refusing to admit those who are manifestly hostile 



24S 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



to the principles of its institution ; and of casting out those 
who, after their admission, as manifestly depart from those 
principles. To suppose less than this would be to suppose that 
a God of infinite wisdom has withheld from a body formed for 
a certain purpose that which is absolutely necessary for its de- 
fence against intrusion, insult, and perversion, in other words, 
for its own preservation. 

That there are often disorderly members in the midst of the 
church, whose conduct tends, not only to disturb her peace, and 
corrupt her morals; but also to bring upon her the reproach of the 
world without, cannot be denied. To suffer such to pass un- 
noticed and without a rebuke is incompatible with her being 
called a holy city, a compacted city, "a city of truth." Know- 
ing that offences would come, although they be accursed by 
whom they come, Christ has authorized officers in the church, 
to whom the work of discipline properly belongs, and on the 
faithful discharge of this duty the purity of the church much 
depends. 

Now the government of the church must be uniform, and hy 
human authority, unalterable. The world cannot dictate altera- 
tions. The subordinate officers go as much out of their place 
when they encroach on God's authority in government, as when 
they do it in reference to any other article of faith. Some, in- 
deed, consider all forms alike Scriptural, or rather that the 
Scriptures are considered as not giving their sanction to any 
one form in particular ; but leave this to be fixed as time and 
other circumstances may seem to render expedient. But if the 
Lord has appointed no particular form of government, the 
church cannot be said to serve him in the matter of her gov- 
ernment. If her government be a matter of human device, 
Christ cannot be her Lord and lawgiver, and her king ; and Ave 
cannot allow that his benevolence would allow him to leave the 
form of government of his church, so important to her peace 
and purity and prosperity, and to the cause of God in the 
world, to human wisdom, and the fluctuations of human opinion 



THEIR ORDER. 



249 



and will. ' 'Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact. " 
Why ? 4 'There are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the 
house of David. " If there be no difference, why do we still 
applaud the achievements of the Reformation? Why not as 
well be under the Pope's supremacy ? 

What the rule for the government of the church is, and all 
things which she should mind in a way of censure, may be 
learned from express precepts and approved examples. In 
the first periods of her existence, we find her blessed with a 
government partaking indeed of a patriarchal character. But 
in her more complete public and formal organization at Mount 
Sinai her government was so far changed and amended, as to 
possess a beautiful adaptation to the circumstances of her then 
advanced condition, and more permanent character as God's 
public witness for the truth in the midst of an idolatrous and 
wicked world. Hence she was not only favored with sundry 
laws of ecclesiastical polity, but officers also to superintend the 
execution of these laws. Rulers were appointed whose duty it 
was, not only to teach Jacob God's laws, and Israel his stat- 
utes, but also to exercise government and discipline. The 
priests were ordained rulers in the house of the Lord. 

The New Testament church exhibits the same features. Her 
government indeed is more simple — more spiritual and perfect 
than was that of the Old Testament. We find that whenever a 
few believers were joined into a church, stated government be- 
came an essential ingredient of her organization. Hence the 
several churches, to which the apostolical epistles were sent, 
are addressed as being blessed with this divine ordinance, and 
the members thereof individually enjoined to yield submission 
to its administrations. The direction given to the believing 
Hebrews is, 4t Obey them that have the rule over you, and sub- 
mit yourselves ;" and clearly teaches that there are persons in 
the church possessed of governmental authority, to whom all 
the rest were bound to submit themselves. Paul also taught 
the Corinthians that God hath set governments in the church. 



250 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



The term, governments, here denotes the persons in whom the 
government of the church is vested, but it teaches that govern- 
ment is interwoven not merely with the well being but with the 
very existence of the church. For if the church cannot exist 
without apostles and prophets and teachers, neither can she 
exist without governments. All which, says the apostle, God 
hath set in the church. In consequence of this divine establish- 
ment, we meet with such directions as the following : Let him 
that ruleth do it with diligence. ' 'Let the elders that rule well 
be counted worthy of double honor." 

We infer, therefore, that one form of government is better 
than another ; and that Christ gave the best, which we hold to 
be the Presbyterian form. We have not only the general prin- 
ciple of representative government — the poAver given to the 
officers, and not to the people ; but we have the very name, 
presbytery. Synodical assemblies have authority from the 
transactions recorded in the book of the Acts. If anything be 
there taught for general or permanent edification, it is, that if 
a matter of difficulty occur in one presbytery, as at Antioch, it 
may be referred to a higher court, as at Jerusalem. 

We must, therefore, condemn the Independent or Congrega- 
tional plan of church government : that individual congrega- 
tions are separate and distinct churches of Christ, and not com- 
ponent parts of one body. If the apostle had been addressing 
a Congregational church he could not have said, "Obey them 
that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves," but, 
"Obey yourselves, and submit yourselves to the government 
which you exercise over your own selves." But according to 
the Presbyterian principle of government, his exhortation has a 
meaning, as in every settled congregation formed on that prin- 
ciple, there is not only a "bishop," or "pastor," or teaching 
elder, as he is variously denominated ; but other fit persons 
also called riding elders, associated with him in the exercise of 
government. Hence I say, according to this plan of govern- 
ment, there is a meaning, a justness, a force, and consistency 



THEIR ORDER. 



251 



in the apostle's injunction addressed to individual church mem- 
bers, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit 
yourselves." But addressed to the Congregational church it 
would be entirely incongruous, for on the Independent plan of 
government there are no rulers distinct from the body of the 
people. The people themselves are those who rule. The 
pastor or teacher as such is not a ruler. There are no rulers 
independent of the people. According to this plan of govern- 
ment every congregation is independent. This is contrary to 
the Scripture representation of the church as one — one body, 
one spirit, one calling, and one hope of her calling ; one Lord, 
one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father ; and accord- 
ingly she is enjoined to "endeavor to keep the unity of the 
Spirit in the bond of peace." The idea that different congre- 
gations are and ought to be distinct churches, and unconnected 
in profession and communion and government, is manifestly 
inconsistent with the headship of Christ over the church, which 
he rules by the same laws, cherishes by the same doctrines and 
ordinances, and quickens by the same Spirit. The church of 
Christ is called his kingdom. Now a kingdom is but one, 
though it be composed of many provinces and subordinate gov- 
ernments. It is called his house or household, which though 
it may have many members is one independent family under 
him, as its head. The church of Israel was one church, had 
one profession of faith, one altar, one high priest, and one 
ecclesiastical Sanhedrim, though the people were scattered 
throughout the land, and had many synagogues and synagogue 
rulers ; the New Testament church is the same church contin- 
ued under different persons, grafted into the good olive tree. 
This order of government was not ceremonial or typical, and 
therefore was not abolished ; consequently there was no need 
of an express institution of it in the New Testament church. 
Reference to its existence was all that was to be expected. But 
the Congregational form utterly rejects the Scriptural eldership; 
and, refusing to acknowledge a ruling power according to the 



252 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



apostle's injunction, "Obey them that have the rule over you," 
it divides the church into separate parties, and necessarily pro- 
duces contradictory professions and practices. In imitation of 
Presbyterianism it avails itself of advisory conferences, but it 
loses the advantage by denying authority in their decisions. 
There is no government by a body whose decisions have no 
authority ; but Christ requires that the decisions of the elder- 
ship be authoritative as, ' ' Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth 
shall be bound in heaven." 

According to this representation of the matter the Episcopa- 
lian scheme of church government is just as incongruous as the 
Independent scheme. According to the Episcopalian scheme 
the government of the church is vested in bishops, as a higher * 
grade of officers than the teaching elder. There is none asso- 
ciated with him in the exercise of government. Hence the 
apostle's injunction, "Obey them that have the rule over you, 
and submit yourselves," would be as incongruous addressed to 
an Episcopalian congregation as to an Independent. Address- 
ing an Episcopalian congregation, he would say, ' ' Obey him 
who has the rule over you, submit yourselves." The govern- 
ment of the church by elders was that which God gave to the 
Old Testament church. Hence we read, Numb. 11:16, "The 
Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the 
elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the 
people, and officers over them." A government of the same 
kind is continued under the New Testament. The several acts 
of government recorded in the New Testament are ascribed to 
the elders of the church associated in smaller or larger assem- 
blies. Hence we read that the apostles and elders came together 
for to consider this matter : that is, whether it was necessary 
to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. This example 
shows us that counsel and government is a wise measure, as the 
Spirit saith, "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the 
multitude of counsellors there is safety." This is one prom- 
inent feature in the government which Christ has appointed ; 



THEIR ORDER. 



253 



that there is a plurality of officers sitting in judgment ; and that 
in this plurality there are no different grades of authority in 
ruling. Hence Christ says, "If two of you shall agree on 
earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done 
foi them of] my Father which is in heaven. For where two or 
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the 
midst of them.'" This is Presbyterian church government. It 
allows a representation of every portion of the church in judi- 
cial business. It exhibits the unity of the church in doctrine 
and worship and discipline, which perfectly accords with that 
unity ascribed to her under the figure of the human body as one, 
though composed of many members, or of a kingdom as one, 
though composed of many provinces. The Episcopal form 
puts the government into the hands of individuals, rejecting 
the Scriptural presbytery, it lacks the benefit of presbyterial 
council, and of union in judgment and in effort. It governs 
the people without their choice, and necessarily leads to 
tyranny. 

But with many churches, government is a matter of little 
moment. They seem to fancy themsevles in the same condi- 
tion as the church in former times, when it was said, < ' In those 
days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which 
was right in his own eyes. So lamentably is this the case that 
church officers if they exercise discipline at all, must exercise it 
with such excessive caution and lenity, as to frustrate its de- 
sign. Those who thus despise the government of the church 
are engaged in the^same work upon the sanctuary of Jehovah, 
as was made by those bitter enemies of old, when they brake 
down the carved work thereof with axes and hammers. 

The usual jWay by which the devil works error into the church 
is by making a a gap in her hedge ; then she becomes an easy 
prey. "The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the 
wild beast of the field devour it." Hence it will be observed 
that there are always some in the church who keep a constant 
murmuring against the strictness of her discipline in some 



254 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



things. They tease the church officers until they make them 
yield, and then the same effect follows to the church, as would 
follow to your garden, if you would tear away the fence, and 
let hogs in among your plants and vines. 

VII. Association. If Christians are ordained to act, not in 
an isolated condition, but in bands, then fellowship together is 
both their diuy and their privilege. Persons associated for the 
accomplishment of an important purpose consult about it, when 
they meet each other : they come together at appointed times 
to consider it jointly. 

Christians being persons to whom one great event has occurred 
— an event of surprising interest — a deliverance frorri the power 
of darkness, and a translation into the kingdom of God's dear 
Son, it will be the theme of unreserved and joyful thanksgiving 
and wonder in their communications with each other. They 
will cleave to each other by mutual attraction ; and their com- 
mon talk will often run on their duties and conflicts, and their 
glorious foretastes of eternal joys. 

If persons who are banded together for the accomplishment 
of any worldly object, which greatly interests them, will hold 
many mutual conversations in reference to it ; what are we to 
think of Christians walking together, interchanging thoughts 
freely on all worldty subjects, but silent as stones on spiritual 
things ? If this strange muteness is correct, then that beauti- 
ful mirror of Christianity, the Pilgrim's Progress, throws a 
wrong reflection here. Have a Christian, a Faithful, and a 
Hopeful nothing to say to one another as they travel on. of 
the wa} r in which the Lord led them ; of their solaces, tempta- 
tions, and strifes? But this is not all. If Bunyan is wrong, 
then a greater than he is wrong also. The Spirit of God is 
wrong. ' ' Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to 
another : and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of 
remembrance was written before him for them that feared the 
Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they .shall lie mine, 
saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels." 



ASSOCIATION. 



255 



When Malachi wrote this prophecy it was a time of great 
wickedness. There was, however, a few who manifested their 
piety by meeting together from time to time, that they might 
animate each other to duty, by conferring together upon re- 
ligious subjects. This was an effect of grace. "They feared 
the Lord." This is a comprehensive expression, including the 
whole of a gracious state, both external and internal. Those 
who are desirous of knowing the real nature of their spiritual 
circumstances, whether they be indeed "dom again" or 
whether they are yet "dead in trespasses and sins," nothing 
can help to get a better insight to the truth of their case than a 
faithful consideration of their disposition to spiritual converse. 

If Christian fellowship is an appointed means of grace, why 
not make provision for it ? Provision is made for instruction — 
for prayers — for "breaking of bread," but none for fellowship. 
Christian may walk all his way alone, no one knowing or caring 
to know of his conflicts and joys. If he is tempted he may 
stand — if overcome he may get restored. If happy he may 
hide his peace among his secrets, and ask no one to rejoice with 
him. If he had lost his pearl, and has found it again, he may 
be silent, for his neighbors are not wont to be called together 
to take a share in one another's cares and joys. 

It is certainly a sad defect when the conversation of pro- 
fessed Christians is not spiritual — when their meeting together 
is not for edification ; but for the wasting of precious time — 
perhaps, in tattling on the news of the day — on some of the 
perishing vanities of the world, or giving vent to idle laughter, 
it may be, which the Scriptures compare to the "crackling of 
thorns under a pot." If I were asked what is that which, more 
than any other cause almost, mars the usefulness of many 
Christians, I would reply, the want of sobriety and spirituality 
in their conversation. 

I do not wish my readers to be alarmed as though I were 
going to proscribe all cheerfulness as unbecoming the followers 
of Christ. I am about to do nothing of the kind. My con- 



256 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



viction is that a melancholy demeanor is as little in character 
with the nature of true Christianity as the boisterous merriment 
of the tavern. At the same time we are persuaded that there is 
a sobriety of spirit naturally growing out of genuine conver- 
sion to God which must tincture the Christian deportment. We 
say, naturally growing out of, because here is the grand distinc- 
tion between the gravity of the formalist and that of the real 
servant of Jesus, that the latter is natural, while the former is 
assumed. Persons may put on a solemn air, when the set time 
is come, when they are listening to a sermon, or a prayer, or 
when they are at a communion table. This, however, may be 
but the well arranged drapery which gives the semblance of a 
good proportion of the body, which after all may be but the 
concealing of its defects. 

If we would see our Christianity aright, it must be seen 
without a covering. It must be seen when we have laid aside 
those occasional proprieties with which custom, perhaps, as 
much as anything else, has clothed our every day life. We 
may talk of the things of God, when the set time is come to talk 
of them ; but do we talk of them when the set time is over ? 

The prophet says, "They that feared the Lord thought 

upon his name, " and that is a very just estimate of human na- 
ture in the book of Proverbs, where depicting the real character 
of a person it says, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he." 
The natural current of the thoughts tells what a man is. And 
so it is with conversation. ' ' For out of the abundance of the 
heart the mouth speaketh." And if the words of folly and 
levity be often with us, if we should be calling forth merri- 
ment, when we should be speaking something for spiritual edi- 
fication, where is our Christianity ? For our awakening is that 
sentence of the apostle, "If any man among you seem to be 
religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own 
heart, this man's religion is vain." 

Of the duty and blessed effects of social converse on divine 
things, we learn from the account that is given us of the two 



ASSOCIATION. 



257 



disciples journeying together from Jerusalem to Emmaus after 
our Lord's resurrection. What was the object of their journey, 
we are not told. They were familiar with each other : 1 ' And 
they talked together of all these things which had happened," 
concerning their blessed Master. It was a gloomy period with 
them ; and such periods are Satan's sifting times ; and even 
good men may be so harassed with temptation, as to give up all 
for lost. No doubt such feelings were operating on the hearts 
of these two disciples at this time. A beauteous beam had be- 
fore gladdened them. 4 'They trusted that it had been he which 
should have redeemed Israel." But now a dark cloud obscured 
this beam ; and they are gloomy — doubtful — despairing. Draw 
near now, ye despairing disciples, and learn the remedy for the 
evil. Unbosom yourselves to one another — talk about Christ, 
and he will soon be in your company. See this truth in the 
narration before us, "And it came to pass, that while Cleo- 
pas and his companion communed together and reasoned, 
Jesus himself drew near, and went with them." "But their 
eyes were holden that they should not know him." This was 
ordered in wisdom lest the suddenness of the surprise might 
hinder the freeness of the conversation. And he said unto 
them, "What manner of communications are these, that ye 
have one to another, as ye walk and are sad?" "And begin- 
ning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in 
all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." Now is the 
happy moment when their hearts began to warm — a spark is 
kindled ; and as he proceeds the flame increases. The one did 
not know what was going on in the other's breast, until they 
both spontaneously exclaimed, ' ' Did not our hearts burn within 
us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened 
to us the Scriptures?" 

I appeal to all true Christians if they have not had some- 
thing of the feelings of these two brethren when talking to- 
gether on divine things ? Such are the blessed enjoyments 
arising from such converse that it is strange that Christians 

17 



25S 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



should so often forget themselves when they meet together. 

A vouno; Christian gentleman gives the following narration : 
"On a certain occasion three persons, who professed to be 
Christians, and for whom I had respect, were conversing, or 
rather chatting within earshot of a desk at which I sat. and 
supposing me to be engaged in some light study paid no atten- 
tion to my using my pen instead of joining in their talk. I 
continued for about an hour writing down sometimes the sub- 
stance of what they said, and sometimes their very words : and 
then Avithout telling the topic of my manuscript, begged them 
to hear what I had been writing. I had not proceeded many 
sentences when they began to look confused and pale — not as 
I at first feared, from displeasure at my temerity, but really 
from shame and vexation at their own folly, ^and long before I 
had finished they repeatedly exclaimed to one another. * Who 
could have believed that we had been talking such nonsense V "* 

Yes. even real Christians if they would seriously bethink 
themselves would often have reason to exclaim. "Who could 
have believed that we had been talking such nonsense " Yes, 
such nonsense, with such sublime, interesting, and exhaustless 
subjects before them as is contained in the gospel. 

Remember, O Christian, that the tongue is an interpreter of 
the thoughts of the mind, whether these thoughts be good or 
bad. --A good man out of the good treasure of the heart 
bringeth forth good things : and an evil man out of the evil 
treasure bringeth forth evil things. " As a man thinketh in his 
heart, so is he : his talk will generally test his character. If a 
man's heart be in love with sin. he will, when free from all 
restraint, by his tongue show the pollution within. If a man 
is renewed by grace, his tongue, formerly a world of iniquity, 
now becomes a world of religion, because sanctified by the 
grace of God and restored to its original use. 

Christians in their communings together should keep con- 
stantly in view these three things : Christian doctrines. Christian 
experience, and Christian practice. 

* The Weekly Christian Teacher, Vol. II.. Page 536. 



ASSOCIATION. 



259 



There can be no Christianity without a knowledge of the 
doctrines of Christianity. There is no better way for Christians 
to get their minds familiarized with these doctrines than to talk 
about them. In mutual discourse on divine things a wider 
range of subjects may be expected than from one poring upon 
his own thoughts without an associate to brighten and call forth 
his remarks. In such intercourse a variety of genius must 
display a variety of sentiments. Every one by bringing forth 
his sentiments on the subject will add to the general stock of 
information ; and all this may be appropriated by each indi- 
vidual. Hence in religious fellowship numerous remarks are 
thrown out which would never have occurred, but from the 
impulse of the moment, and the auxiliary ideas of each ; besides 
the mind is commonly more vigorous in conversation than in 
meditation alone, for as 4 1 iron sharpeneth iron ; so a man 
sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. " Iron is often most 
effectually used to sharpen iron, so friends of correspondent 
dispositions whet each other's ingenuity, and the mind of each 
muse rapidly expand, in collecting ideas from so many sources. 
A number of opinions on the same subject may be compared to 
a number of little rivulets meeting together, and forming one 
large stream common to them all. So when all the opinions of 
the conversants are collected into one they must greatly minister 
to enlarge the sphere of knowledge of every one. And the 
knowledge gained in this way is more strongly impressed upon 
the mind and better retained than wmat is gained by reading 
and study. 

And let not Christians in their communings on divine truths 
keep out of view experience- — the influence which these truths 
should have on the understandings and feelings. See how these 
two travellers to Emmaus encourage each other by speaking 
together of the influence which the discourse of Christ had 
upon them. i 1 Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked 
with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?' ' 
This example is a warrant for saints to detail their experience 



260 



THEIR CONJUNCTION. 



I 



for the encouragement of other saints. In like manner David 
encouraged the saints by calling upon them to hear what God 
had done for his soul. The experience of one saint is for the 
advantage of another ; and when an opportunity is aff orded them 
to declare it. it is a sin against Christ to conceal it. Strong 
believers should encourage the weak, lively believers should 
animate the disconsolate, and bold believers should invigorate 
the wavering. Experience is a species of proof that religion is 
true. Christian experience is necessary for Christian establish- 
ment, as we may be easily seduced from religion if we know 
nothing of it by experience. Without experience, however clear 
the views we may have of the plan of salvation, we will remain 
unconcerned about our interest in it. Like a fine ship with a 
compass and helm, but without a single sail set to catch the 
breeze, no advance is made towards its destination. Just so 
the hearers of the Gospel, where Christian feelings are wanting, 
have the compass of truth and the helm of judgment, but no mo- 
tion of the heart towards the haven of eternal rest — no effort is 
made to take the kingdom of heaven by violence, no agony of 
spirit felt to enter in at the strait gate. 

And Christian practice must not be overlooked, as without this 
the genuineness of experience cannot be proved to the world, 
4 4 By their fruits ye shall know them. " If the heart be right the 
life will be holy ; Christian experience will be evinced by a 
Christian practice. When persons honor their discourse by their 
conduct, when they seem in good earnest about religion, they are 
generally listened to, and listened to with respect. But when 
persons traduce their religion by their behavior, though they can 
speak eloquently for it with their tongues, their discourse is 
pronounced vain, and irrelevant to the conviction of others. 



PART III— THEIR ACTION. 



This part of the subject, The Action of this Band of Men, 
separates itself into two parts: First, the Object of the Band's 
Action. Secondly, the Character of their Action. 

I. The Object of the BanoVs Action. 

This was Saul, anointed and chosen to be king over all Israel. 
In this character, as we noticed in the outset, he is to be con- 
sidered as a type of the kingly character of our Lord and Savior. 
A careful consideration of the action of these men in relation to 
Saul will let us see the character of that regard we should have 
for Christ, the king and head of the church. Their adherence 
to Saul carries in it : 

a An Attachment to his Person. Saul was a goodly person 
as 4 k Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord 
hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people ? " 
None so stately and prince-like : and at the time he was chosen, 
he had a sincere and ardent regard for the welfare of Israel. 
This band of men adhered to him, as brave soldiers adhere to a 
skilful and faithful general, being persuaded of his entire 
ability to rule the kingdom of Israel. 

No man in Israel stood higher in the estimation of this band 
of men than Saul : and who is above Christ in the estimation of 
believers? All real excellence of character is real beauty of 
character : and who in beauty of character deserves even to be 
named in comparison with Christ ? In him all that is glorious 
in divinity, and all that is lovely in humanity shine forth in 
perpetual splendor. It was essentially necessary for Christ in 
effecting the redemption of his people, that he should be tempted 
in all points like as they are. Hence he came later on the 



262 



THEIR ACTION. 



stage, that four thousand years might offer the history of great 
and good men, in every variety of situation, with whom in the 
matter of resistance to temptation he might stand in the highest 
contrast. Hence the Scriptures record unhesitatingly the sins 
of the best men : Noah intoxicated, Abraham telling a false- 
hood, Jacob a supplanter, Moses excluded from Canaan for a 
defect, Israel the covenant nation for live centuries, doing little 
else than apostatize to idolatry. To the wisest and best of the 
race, temptation brought sin, until Jesus appeared ; and then 
the tempter first met a check, and recoiled baffled ; and the 
whole world stood hushed and abashed before the matchless 
incarnation of heavenly divinity. Accordingly we are told that 
Christ is "fairer than the children of men/' Who that has 
ever seen Christ in his beauty, does not admire him as the chief 
among ten thousand, yea, as altogether lovely. In all points 
of comparison, with even the most exalted creatures, Jehovah 
Jesus has the pre-eminence. 

As the light of the morning when the sun rises, as a w *morn- 
ing without clouds," so is our well-beloved unto us. A sight 
of the burning bush made Moses put off his shoes, but the 
transporting view of Jesus makes us part with all the world. 
When once he is seen we can desire no beauty in all the creatures 
in the universe, Like the sun he has absorbed all other beau- 
ties in his own excessive brightness. This is the pomegranate 
which love feeds upon, the ffagon wherewith it is comforted. 
Heaven itself, although it be a fertile land flowing with milk 
and honey, can produce no fairer flower than the rose of Sharon : 
its highest joys mount no higher than the head of Jesus, its 
sweetest bliss is found in his name alone. Wherefore, every 
one who has been in any measure beautified with his salvation, 
will exclaim with the saint of old, ' ' One thing have I desired 
of the Lord, that will I seek after ; that I may dwell in the 
house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty 
of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." 

How congenial to the spirit of such a one is the exhortation, 



THE OBJECT. 



263 



"0 love the Lord, all ye his saints. 1 ' Love ordinarily signifies 
the affection of esteem. It is founded in the perception of 
excellencies, real or supposed, in the character of its object ; 
and it is opposed to that feeling of aversion or hatred, which is 
-occasioned by repulsive qualities and base actions. 

Love to the Savior signifies simply that ardent and sincere 
esteem of his person and character which is founded in what is 
revealed respecting him in the records of inspiration. And can 
we pOnder his original rank, as the beloved Son of God, and 
the debasement to which he stooped on our account, and the 
repugnancy of the position in which we stood, .when he came 
to save us as revolters from his royal authority — can we ponder 
this and not be filled with wonder at the unequalled grandeur 
of the contrivance, and be moved to exclaim, in the language 
of inspiration, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive 
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and 
glory, and blessing?" Surely the obligations under which we 
lie to the Savior for his gracious interference are of the greatest 
magnitude, yea, they are boundless in extent. The mediatorial 
work of Christ has infinite claims upon our attention : it justly 
demands the consecration of our w T hole being to the service of 
heaven : it establishes a title to the unbounded gratitude, and 
the continual praise and homage of believers. 

It is doubtless true that the emotion of love attaches itself to 
the qualities of its object, independently of all the relations in 
which we may stand to them : and love to the Savior is founded 
on his claims to our esteem apart from all considerations of the 
benefits we may derive from him. Were we to love Christ 
merely on account of Avhat he hath done for us, the object of 
our attachment would not be the giver but the gift. At the 
same time it is certain in fact, and proceeding on the common 
principles of human nature, w r e can never separate in our minds 
the thought of what Christ is, from the recollection of what he 
hath done. It is impossible for a creature who owes his all to 
the interposition of the Great Redeemer, to form a purely 



264 



THEIR ACTION. 



abstract conception of the Redeemer ; to consider him as entirely 
remote from all those relations in which he is represented to 
our faith in the inspired word. From what Christ has done we 
learn what he is ; and the glories of his character shine with 
peculiar lustre through the vail of his meditation, sufferings, and 
death. "We love him because he first loved us. " This cer- 
tainly means that his love for us was the originating cause of 
our love to him. The love of God is that exercise of his holy 
and sovereign will, by which he condescends to take pleasure in 
his chosen people, to confer spiritual favors, accept their per- 
sons and services, and make them eternally happy. We can 
conceive of no love like this. No love that is to be found in 
any creature can bear to be compared with it. It is the love 
that surpasses all delineation ; for it rises above all thought. 
Paul's lofty mind under the inspiration of the Spirit makes no 
attempt to describe it. Our Lord says, "God so loved the 
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever be- 
lieveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. " 
This little .particle Li so" contains in it a meaning, which neither 
the minds of men nor of angels shall ever be able to exhaust. 

There is no denying, however, the happy influence of this 
love on those to whom it is manifested. It is that perfection 
of the divine nature, by which the sinner is encouraged to take 
hold upon, and trust in him for deliverance. It is the soften- 
ing lustre of this living ray from the glory of the Godhead, 
that alone can mollify and engage the human heart, Mercy's 
gentle, never ceasing stream is the mightiest of those mighty 
motives, under the influence of which the sinner takes hold 
upon God. In the glittering blaze of Sinai he is awakened and 
alarmed ; but it is the province of mercy flowing from the 
groaning brow of Calvary that causes the stubborn soul to yield, 
and melt in deep contrition. We must know, and be persuaded 
that God loves us, before we can be persuaded to love and confide 
in him. We cannot love a fellow creature, however excellent 
his character may be in other respects, if he is sullen and morose 



THE OBJECT. 



265 



and manifests no disposition to be friendly and kind. Conceal 
the divine attribute of love, and you may portray before the 
view of the sinner the other perfections of the divine nature 
in the most glowing light, and his heart will remain inflexible. 
It is a view of the sovereignty, the freeness, the riches, the ex- 
tent, the immutability and the infinitude of the love of Jesus 
which draws the sinner to God, and causes him instantly, and 
most thankfully to receive the gift of his love. It is the great 
bond between heaven find earth, and proves itself such to every 
sinner who takes hold upon the conductor along which the 
virtues of heaven as well as the joys of heaven descend upon 
him. 

I know that it has been argued that there can be no love to 
God but what is grounded upon his own supreme and excellent 
loveliness. But sure these reasoners cannot understand their own 
hearts. I am sure they do not understand our hearts. They 
might talk to adoring seraphs in this style ; but when they come 
to talk to men like us, they must put in another strain. All 
this would do very well for Adam and Eve in paradise, before 
sin was introduced, when their nature was unstained, and all 
was right. Those happy and pure intelligences around the 
throne, can delight in that which is infinitely amiable, lovely, 
and beautiful ; and seraphs, beholding the divine excellence and 
glory, burn with intense ardor, love, and admiration. Ah ! but 
man is not now in the state in which God created him. He has 
fallen into the doleful region of total depravity — total blindness 
of mind — total perversion of the will — total corruption of the 
affections. It is impossible for him from such a region, to lift 
up his heart in love to God, merely because of his infinite loveli- 
ness. All the flaming grandeur in which we can conceive him 
to be enveloped ; all the moral beauty in which a mind the most 
exalted can array him — the energy that awes — the greatness 
that overwhelms — the endurance that never tires — and the pity 
that never perishes — the benevolence that fills us with astonish- 
ment — and the purity that makes heaven thrill — all this does 



266 



THEIR ACTION. 



not touch the heart of the sinner like the agonies of Gethsemane 
or the expiring groans of the cross. We can say with the 
worshipping hosts above us, and well nigh quiver as we say it, 
"Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God Almighty;" bat if we want a song 
that will call forth every power of the soul, and bring into ac- 
tion every feeling of the heart, we must take up the language 
of the ransomed Paul, with respect to the Son of God, "Who 
loved me and gave himself for me." This in the estimation of 
the righteous is the Redeemer's highest claim upon them. 
"Worthy," they cry, "is the Lamb that was slain to receive 

honor, and glory, and blessing." But we may say, 

This was the song they sung on earth. Perhaps when they 
come into the very presence of Christ, and see him in the 
full splendor of his glory and all the un vailed brightness of his 
perfections, they will put into it some higher notes. But no, 
the song they sung on earth, they still sing unchanged amidst 
the glories of heaven. On earth they sang, 1 ' Unto him that 

loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood 

to him be glory and dominion." They sing now in heaven, 
4 ' Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood. " 

Oh ! .then if these hearts of ours ever rise in love to God, the 
God of love must come down and touch them ; his love through 
Jesus must be manifested to them, we must have a vivid 
impression of it, and then will our love be lighted up in return : 
a spark from the divine love must rill our hearts, and then will 
our love be kindled up, and we will say, "We love him, be- 
cause he first loved us." The love thus kindled in our hearts 
will be completely satisfied with the sublimeness and fulness 
of its object, the chief good — the supreme excellence — the 
blessed God ; and the soul in union with God, and in the ex- 
ercise of this feeling, rises in emotions of desire — in emotions 
of esteem — in emotions of gratitude — in emotions of compla- 
cency and delight, and we say, "Whom having not seen, we 
love." The point to which I would direct your attention, is 
the claims of the Savior upon our love and gratitude arising 



THE OBJECT. 



267 



from his mediatorial interposition. These claims are great 
when we consider. 

(1) The Exalted Dignity of his Person. 

It is a common principle, and seems to be founded in reason 
that the value of voluntary labors performed for the benefit of 
others, should be measured by the rank of the individual per- 
forming them. Hence we find rank universally influencing the 
ideas which men form of their attention to each other. When 
we receive a kindness from one of our own rank, we express 
our thankfulness, certainly ; but when we receive the same 
kindness from one who occupies a position above us, the im- 
pression of gratitude in our bosoms is more deep and lasting, 
and we think we can never sufficiently laud his praise. 

But all the distinctions which exist among men, how petty, 
and how does even the height of human greatness dwindle into 
nothingness, when put in comparison with the divine Redeem- 
er's greatness ! Behold his spotless purity ! The stamp of 
heaven was impressed on all his conduct : ' 1 Who did no sin, 
neither was guile found in his mouth." The image of his 
Father shone resplendent in his face ; for his was not an earthly 
origin, nor had he tasted those polluted waters of depravity 
which had intoxicated and degraded the rest of mankind. 

When we behold him, indeed, moving among the children of 
of men, not arrayed in royal attire, not dwelling in a splendid 
mansion, not followed by a princely retinue, we might mis- 
judge his condition, and suppose him to be only one of the 
people, and heedlessly pass him by ; but heaven was his home, 
God was his Father, angels were his servants. He was the 
brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his 
person. He existed in the form of God, and thought it not 
robbery to be equal with God ; yea, he was himself the 
"mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." 

The worlds which noiselessly roll through immensity, ad- 
vancing each in the path prescribed to it, sprang into existence 
when the powerful word dropped from his lips, and by the 



268 



THEIR ACTION. 



strength of his arm have they ever been upheld in being, and by 
his wisdom have their motions ever been guided. kt By him," 
as recorded in the sacred page, 4 'all things consist." 

And was this the person God sent on a message of mercy to 
the children of men? Yes, "God so loved the world that he 
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever belie veth in him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life." If even an 
angel, one of those pure spirits that surround the throne of the 
Eternal, had been sent to reclaim us from our errors, supposing 
him competent to the task, and to deliver us from our misery, 
the condescension would have been great, and the kindness 
altogether undeserved ; but what words shall we find, possessed 
of sufficient power to describe the goodness of God displayed in 
the gift of his only begotten and well beloved Son ? Should not 
our tongues be continually employed in praising the glorious Re- 
deemer who is King of kings and Lord of lords in the essence of 
the Godhead, and is King and Head of the church by the ap- 
pointment of the Father; and should not the gratitude of our 
hearts spontaneously burst forth to him who conferred upon us 
so exalted and precious a gift ? Surely our souls should bless the 
Lord, and all that is within is be stirred up to praise and magnify 
his holy name. 

(2) The claims of our Savior upon our gratitude and love 
are great, when we consider his Condescension and Sufferings. 
It is a rule the justice of which cannot for a moment be ques- 
tioned, that the greatness of a person's condescension must be 
measured by the greatness of the elevation from which he has 
come down. If we apply this rule to Christ, we shall at once 
perceive that there is no instance of condescension which for 
one moment can be compared to his. From the throne of the 
universe on which it was his undisputed right to sit, he comes 
to this world, not in triumphal procession, to receive the con- 
gratulations and homage of obedient subjects, but in lowliness 
and poverty and want, to win back the affections of ungrate- 
ful rebels, by making an atonement for their sins ; and setting 



THE OBJECT. 



269 



before them an example of patient resignation to the will of 
heaven. "Being in the form of God, he thought it not rob- 
bery to be equal with God : but made himself of no reputation, 
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the 
likeness of sinful men : and being found in fashion as a man, 
he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the 
death of the cross. " 

Yes, the infinite majesty of heaven and of earth, that Being 
for whose pleasure all things were made, and for the display of 
whose glory unnumbered worlds were brought into existence, 
condescends to be born at Bethlehem. He who is the Ancient 
of days, and whom angels adore, is wrapped in swaddling 
clothes and laid in a manger. He whose own the universe is, is a 
houseless, homeless wanderer, without a place to lay his head. 
He who holds the reins of the universal empire becomes 
subject to the authority of his parents, and j assists by manual 
labor his reputed father. He who is the proprietor of all 
things becomes a man of sorrows travelling through Judea, ex- 
exposed to hunger and thirst and fatigue. That Being, at 
whose name all heaven adored, and all hell trembled, is slandered 
and reproached in the most spiteful manner. He, who never 
repented, and whose essential blessedness can never^be ruffled, 
weeps at the grave of Lazarus, and sheds tears of commisera- 
tion over the devoted city of Jerusalem. Is this the Most 
High, the brightness of the uncreated glory, the agonies of 
whose mind were so great as to cause him to sweat, as it were 
great drops of blood, and who, almostj overwhelmed with 
sorrow and distress, poured out his plaintive petition to his 
heavenly Father. Is he who ruled supreme over. |t he hosts of 
heaven, whose bidding legions of angels would have obeyed, and 
who by a single volition of his resistless will could have 
withered the arm of his foes, led by bands of soldiers into the 
judgment hall, and there insulted and reproached and buffeted? 
Was this the Prince of life, the Fountain of being, who expired 
upon the accursed tree between two malefactors, exclaiming in 



270 



THEIR ACTION. 



the anguish of his spirit, k k My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me ?" Ah ! see there he hangs in agony, the victim 
of the cruel rage of his countrymen, his tender limbs transfixed 
with nails, and while the insulting shouts of a furious throng 
are falling upon his ears, while his parched tongue is cleaving 
to the roof of his mouth, what words were these that fell from 
his lips ? denunciations of vengenance against his enemies ? 
prayers for their speedy destruction ( No, but prayers for their 
pardon and forgiveness. The sacred words, * ' Father, forgive 
them, for they know not what they do," will remain an eternal 
monument of compassion, which no ingratitude, no amount of 
injury, could for one moment quench. 

Can we, therefore, contemplate the sufferings and death of the 
Redeemer, and remembering that all his sorrows were endured 
on our account, fail to cherish his memory with fondest affec- 
tion ? Can we think of those troubles which embittered the 
years of his earthly existence — of the reproach and scorn with 
which he was continually assailed, without feeling that the love 
which could voluntarily submit to trials like these must have 
had a length and breadth, and a height and depth surpassing 
human comprehension. Oh that our minds were sufficiently 
alive to the obligation under which we lie to Christ ! Oh that 
the love wherewith God first loved us would excite a corres- 
ponding flame in our bosoms ! Surely when the name of Jesus 
ceases to be regarded with veneration, gratitude must have per- 
ished from the human breast ; and justice and love become but 
an empty name. 

He comes, behold he comes, his shining pathway is paved 
with mercy. His love to man appears in every line of his life ; 
but most of all in those agonizing pains he bore, when his 
sacred head was crowned with thorns, when his hands and feet 
with nails were pierced, when on the cross he hung, and death 
and hell with all their powers conspired to break his heart, and 
heaven her light withdrew and left him to explore alone the 
blackness, and feel the smart of fire unquenchable ; and all, tha^ 



THE OBJECT. 



271 



justice might be paid. Hark ! the skies are sounding, seraphs, 
glowing with emotion, sing and touch their golden lyres, their 
darling theme is Jesus. And can a sinner look at this scene un- 
moved \ With the eye of faith he cannot. He may have been 
ever so despertte, yea, wrapped in marble, and unmoved by 
the most earnest remonstrance, vice may have fixed her gorgon 
eye upon him until he has been petrified into flint — I care not, 
he may be proof against all else, but when this tear-compelling 
story is unfolded, when there is mustered before him all the 
tempest which beat upon that sacred head, and all the love 
which welcomed that tempest for poor man — that sight will 
soften and disarm his inveterate enmity — unlock as with a key 
his soul, and untwist all the links which chain it in icy hard- 
ness — break up all the springs and deep fountains of tenderness, 
and cause him to send forth the burning prayer to the Spirit of 
love, to teach him celestial strains — to fill his soul with heavenly 
fire that he may sing his Savior's praise. 

(3) But the Savior has another claim by which our gratitude 
and love to him is increased. That is the consideration that 
when he died, it was not for beings devoted to his service, or 
pure in conduct,' but for rebels who had merited the severest 
infliction of his wrath. 

It is a first principle recognized in every system of human 
duty, that favors conferred deserve a return of gratitude and 
love ; nor is there any fault which is more generally acknowl- 
edged to be base, or more loudly condemned among men than 
that of ingratitude. But here is one case in which the baseness of 
ingratitude assumes an aspect peculiarly revolting, and that is 
when it is manifested towards the man, who, in spite of much 
previous injury which we have done to him, performs for us 
services of essential importance. If there is anything which 
is calculated to subdue the stubborn heart, if there is anything 
that is calculated to heap coals of fire upon the head, it is in 
the persevering kindness of those whose kindness we have abused. 

Good returned for evil has claims upon our gratitude which 



272 



THEIR ACTION. 



no subsequent occurrences can ever cancel. But where can we 
find a case, to which these principles can be applied, for a 
moment to be compared with that which the gospel unfolds i 
"Scarcely for a righteous man will one die : yet perad venture 
for a good man some would even dare to die : but God com- 
mendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, 
Christ died for us." "Behold, what manner of love the 
Father has bestowed upon us, that we," sinful children of men. 
"should be called the sons of God." Even the angels, whose 
natures have continued pure and who have sought their happi- 
ness in the perfect surrender of their affections to the will of 
the Almighty, are justly required to pay unceasing homage 
to the majesty of heaven, and to express continually the 
gratitude of their souls for those blessings which are 
bestowed upon them: but how much greater reason have we to 
praise the Lord for his goodness ; how much more intense should 
be the gratitude which glows in our bosoms, when we have 
been raised from the depths of degradation, and instead of re- 
ceiving the punishment which our sins deserved, have been per- 
mitted to cherish the hope of all bliss in heaven ? 

Wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked ; 
not on account of any misfortune which has accidentally befallen 
us ; but in consequence of our own wickedness and folly, we 
had no portion to which we could look up but the wrath of 
God ; and if w^e had received according to our deserts, instead 
of now being in the land of hope, cheered by the light of the 
sun, and listening to the sweet tones of mercy's voice, we 
should have been buried in the unfathomable gulf of perdition, 
and chained the hopeless victims of despair in those regions of 
darkness which echo to no sound but the sound of * ' weeping 
and wailing and gnashing of teeth." Rebellion such as ours 
against the sovereign authority of God deserves to be punished 
with everlasting banishment from heaven's pure light. 

But blessed, ever blessed be the Father of our spirits for 
those designs of mercy which have been cherished towards us. 



THE OBJECT. 



273 



Our help has been laid upon one "mighty to save." Our pun- 
ishment has been endured, our cause has been pleaded, our 
battle has been fought, our victory won for us, by him who is 
King of kings and Lord of lords, and trusting in his prevailing 
intercession, we are permitted with filial boldness to approach 
the presence of the great Eternal, making known to him by 
prayers and supplications all our wants and griefs. The once 
despised, but now exalted Jesus retains in his state of glory a 
fellow feeling of our infirmities ; and he who wept at the grave 
of Lazarus feels every sorrow which the meanest of his people 
bears. 

Oh ! then, what reason have believers to cherish the deepest 
gratitude to the Savior ! Where within the boundaries of 
the universe, at least, so far as our knowledge goes, are there 
any beings to be found whose hearts bend with stronger devo- 
tion to heaven ? The angels in heaven enjoy, it is true, unin- 
terruptedly the favor of God ; but then they have never fallen 
so as to merit punishment : the angels in hell have rebelled 
against the sovereign majesty, but then they are enduring the 
punishment which such disobedience merits. We, beings of 
most singular destiny, unite in our persons the peculiarities of 
both ; we are saved rebels. Like the angels in hell, we have 
rebelled against the rightful authority of God, yet like the 
angels in heaven, we are permitted to aspire to a deathless in- 
heritance of glory. If like the latter we had never fallen, un- 
ceasing gratitude would still have been most justly due from us 
to God for his goodness ; but when like the former we have 
been guilty of transgression, and yet like the latter are per- 
mitted to expect an eternity of happiness and glory, the grati- 
tude which so unprecedented an accumulation of blessings de- 
mands must plainly be such as human language is utterly un- 
able to describe. Oh ! where shall we find colors sufficiently 
bright to paint the obligations under which we lie to the Savior? 
Bless the Lord, O our souls, and all that is within us, be stirred 
up to praise and magnify his holy name. 

18 



274 



THEIR ACTION. 



But there is yet another claim which our Savior has on our 
gratitude and love, that is, the transcendent fullness of the 
blessings, of which he is the fountain and disposer. In him 
the man of God is thoroughly furnished with all the blessings 
he can possibly require — blessings incomparably better than 
the fruit of the vine, or the corn field, and all royal dainties — 
than treasures dug from mines, gained by commerce, or seized 
by conquest — blessings more firmly secured than the founda- 
tions of the hills, and more durable than creation itself. Those 
who have found Christ need never look beyond him ; for in him 
all fullness dwells. Do we need pardon, rich, full, and free ? 
Here it is, ' ' I, even I, am he who blotteth out thy transgres- 
sions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Do 
we need grace to cover all our sins— grace rising above all our 
follies? Here it is, ''Where sin abounded, grace did much 
more abound." Is it wisdom we want? "Who of God is 
made unto us wisdom." His finger shall point out our path in 
the desert, his rod and staff shall keep us in the way when we 
walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Is it strength 
we want? We need not go to Assyria nor stay on Egypt for 
help. "In the Lord have I righteousness and strength." 
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." 
Aye, and here is righteousness too. We must not forget that 
as we go along, it is the foundation blessing, and it is highly 
gratifying to the Christian to be able to say, ' k THE LORD OUR 
RIGHTEOUSNESS. " Do we deplore our ignorance ? He can 
give us knowledge — can open our ears to mysteries unknown. 
Even babes shall learn the wonders of his grace, and children 
shall be taught of the Lord. Need we inquire after comfort ? 
He is the consolation of Israel. There are. pots full of the oil 
of joy, and rivers of the wine of thanksgiving. Is it pleasure 
we are inquiring after ? The pleasures" of the world are vanity : 
but those who dwell in Christ shall be abundantly satisfied with 
the fatness of his house and drink of the rivers of his pleasure. 

Those who dwell in Christ need never say, "We have 



THE OBJECT. 



275 



searched, but we cannot find what we require for it is and 
ever shall be found in the storehouse of mercy, even in Christ. 
"For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness 
dwell." And sure none of the saints have ever complained of 
any failure in him. Ten thousand of them have drawn from 
this sacred well, yet it is as full as ever ; and all who come to 
it are supplied to the full measure of their necessities. Christ 
is not one single sprig of myrrh, but a bundle of myrrh is my well 
beloved unto me — not one mercy but a string of mercies ; for 
my beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire. Christ is a 
cluster of all spiritual blessings — all the blessings of the ever- 
lasting covenant are in his hand and at his disposal ; and saints 
are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in 
him. He is the believer's wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
and redemption. There is not a mercy we want but is in him. 
He is the believer's all in all. i ' For in him dwelleth all the 
fullness of the Godhead bodily. 1 ' As the fullness of Deity is 
sufficient to create and sustain a universe of ponderous orbs, 
and whole worlds of living creatures, can it be supposed that 
it will be found inadequate to supply the necessities of saints? 
Such a fear would be as foolish as if a man should tremble lest 
the atmosphere should prove too little for his breath, or the 
river too shallow for his thirst. To imagine the riches of the 
incarnate God to fail, would be to conceive a bankrupt God, or 
a waste of the infinite: therefore let us set up our banners in 
his name and exceedingly rejoice. 

b The Adherence of this Band of Men to Saul carries in it 
Submission to his Authority. Saul by the authority of God 
being anointed king over Israel, this band of men considered 
themselves subject to his will, and stood ready to execute all 
his commands. 

Jesus Christ by God the Father is anointed to be king over 
his holy hill of Zion ; and has received from the Father 
authority to direct all the affairs of Zion ; and all Zion's 



276 



THEIR ACTION. 



children, being made a willing people in the day of his power, 
act in conformity to his will in all things. 

Obligation to religious duty springs from the authority of 
God. The reason why we should perform religious duties is 
because God has commanded them. We should just do what 
God has commanded, nothing more, nothing less, and because 
God has commanded it. And this is what characterizes 
the people of God, and distinguishes them from others whose 
manners of life are regulated by the passions, the manners, and 
the customs of the world. 

It is God's will that makes anything a sin, or a duty. He 
who created us has alone the right to prescribe the mode of our 
operation. All unprescribed services, however enjoined by 
men, and however imposing in their appearance, are not obedi- 
ence to God. They are a reflection on his wisdom and goodness : 
for if they are right and necessary to be done, why did he 
not enjoin them ? Can such an invasion of his authority meet 
with any other reception from him than the hypocritical for- 
malism of the Jews, in reference to whom he said, 4 Who 
hath required this at your hands ? " 

And as the command of men cannot make a work acceptable 
to God, unless it is virtually or explicitly commanded by 
him, neither can our own opinion make a work acceptable to 
him. It is necessary to make this remark, as there is evidently 
an inclination among men to consult their own inclinations 
rather than God's authority. If a thing appears to them to be 
right, and they can engage in it with an honest intention, they 
suppose it will be acceptable to God. This is setting aside 
God's law altogether, and becoming a law unto themselves. 
This would destroy the character of all virtue. What would 
be good in one man would be evil in another. What was pure 
as heaven to-day might be black as hell to-morrow. Good may 
be converted into evil through intention, for the state of the 
heart must be right to give value to all actions that are accord- 
ing to the law of God; but intention can never turn evil into 



THE OBJECT. 



277 



good. Men may think that they are doing God service, but 
this idea will not exculpate them if they are seeking to promote 
his glory by opposing the truth. 

But true obedience, we have said, consists in doing not only 
what God has commanded, but because he has commanded it. 
It is necessary to make this observation because we may act in 
literal conformity to the law, while the lawgiver is not in all 
our thoughts. It is not sufficient that we perform certain 
actions because they are agreeable to our feelings, or because 
there is a propriety, a decency, an order, a utility in doing 
them. In all this our duty is forgotten, and God is not hon- 
ored. To do our duty is not to obey the dictates of our own 
minds, or act agreeable to the fitness of things; it is to do what 
the law of God requires, and because it is God's law. That 
cannot be an act of obedience, however agreeable it may be to 
the law, unless it is done out of reverence to the lawgiver. 
We may not be able to see any reason or necessity for the 
injunction, but God's word alone should win our instant com- 
pliance with it. On this principle acted our divine Savior who 
came not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him. 

It will be admitted that Christ has given to his church forms 
of worship, and that the worship expressed through these is of 
a most solemn nature. What inexpressibly enhances the 
importance is that no worship as well as no worshippers can 
be accepted but through the blood of the great sacrifice. This 
was pointed out in the sprinkling with the blood of the ancient 
victims, not only the people, but ' ' the tabernacle and the vessels 
of the ministry . " This circumstance points out not only the 
necessity of faith and devotion in the worshippers, but exact- 
ness in the nature of the worship. 

Few, we presume, will deny the correctness of the catechism, 
6 ' The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, 
and keeping pure and entire all such religious worship and 
ordinances, as God hath appointed in his word, " and it "Forbids 
the worshipping of God by images, or any other way not 



278 



THEIR ACTION. 



appointed in his word." But the formal spirit that has become 
so current in these latter days has lowered the church to the 
toil of substituting incessant frivolities for solid worth. Men 
may toil at this work in the name ef Christianity, but Chris- 
tianity cannot give it her countenance. With an indignant 
frown she turns away from the ill devices which many of the 
spiritual leaders of these times are setting forward, for "pure 
religion and undefiled. " 

If the great Jehovah has appointed a form of worship, neither 
ministers nor people in any age of the church have any right to 
worship him in a way he has not commanded; and they who 
bring human inventions into his worship are guilty of offering 
' ' strange fire before the Lord. " 

Some might imagine that there was little harm in Nadab and 
Abihu offering incense to Jehovah with common fire: but he 
had sent down fire from his presence, which was to be kept con- 
stantly burning upon the altar of burnt offering for this service. 
This was the crime of these men then — a trifling with the insti- 
tutions of the God of heaven, and adding to his worship what 
he had not prescribed. They had no warrant for what they 
did, and therefore, a curse was pronounced upon them instead 
of a blessing. 

And listen to Jehovah charging Moses in reference to the 
tabernacle, "Look that thou make them all after their pattern, 
which was shewed thee in the mount." This is a solemn 
admonition not to deviate in the least from the divinely appointed 
pattern. He was not to make any additions himself; he was 
not to allow the workmen to make any inventions of their own, 
nor gratify the carnal humors of the people, who might think 
this or that handsomer that what the Lord had appointed. They 
might have thought that they had seen more beautiful and 
fashionable structures in Egypt; but no matter what their 
fancies might be, a pin must not be placed but as infinite Avis- 
dom directed. 

Some might think that the addition which Moses put to the 



THE OBJECT. 



279 



command of God at Meribah Kadesh was trifling. Indeed, it 
was small; tbis shows the aggravation of the sin, of adding to 
the Lord's institutions. There was no water and the murmuring 
of the congregation came against Moses. At Horeb he was 
commanded to smite the rock: but in this instance the direction 
was, -'Speak ye unto the rock." u And Moses and Aaron 
gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said 
unto them. Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out 
of this rock ?" He had called them rebels at other times with- 
out offence; yet he evidently speaks at this time in an angry 
tone. He also assumes honor to himself and to Aaron instead 
of giving glory to God, when he inquired, ' ' Must we fetch you 
water out of this rock ?" And he did not think it sufficient to 
speak to the rock; and, therefore, he smote it hastily, and 
repeated the stroke immediately; "And Moses lifted up his 
hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice." Here was 
evidently his sin. He went further than his instructions war- 
ranted. He had a divine command to speak to the rock, but 
none to smite it. Although the water was not withheld, the 
relief to Israel was followed by a severe rebuke to Moses and 
Aaron, and a sentence of exclusion from Canaan, ' ' Because 
ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children 
of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the 
land which I have given them. ,1 Though this was the only 
offence registered against Moses in the book of God; though it 
was committed in a heat, and after great provocation, and by 
one of God's dearest and most devoted servants, yet the Lord 
will be sanctified upon him, and glorify his holiness in his 
punishment. 

"And King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser 
King of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and 
King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar." 
This altar he saw in one ot the temples of some of their idols, 
and perhaps when uniting with them in their devotions. It 
appeared to him more magnificent and convenient than that 



280 



THEIR ACTION. 



which Solomon had made according to the will of God. Noth- 
ing will serve him but he must have an altar just like this — a 
pattern of it must be taken immediately. The contriver of the 
altar at which he was accustomed to worship, he thinks must 
have had a dull fancy compared with the genius who made this 
altar. The temporizing priest Urijah, without scruple or hes- 
itation, prepared an altar after the model of the one sent him 
by Ahaz; and when Ahaz returned, the altar of God was re- 
moved to make way for it, and it was sprinkled with the blood 
of the sacrifices instituted by the God of Israel. But what was 
the issue of his idolatries — his sinful inventions and additions 
to God's institutions ? They were the ruin of him, and all 
Israel — brought desolating judgments upon him and his, and 
have transmitted his name to the latest generations, branded by 
the Spirit of God with this note of infamy; " And in the time 
of his distress, did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this 
is that King Ahaz." 

Now what is God's language to us in these examples ? That 
he will be sanctified either by being worshipped according to 
the appointed order, or he will sanctify himself upon the cor- 
ruptions of his worshippers, if not by temporal plagues, by 
what is infinitely more terrible — spiritual ones. His command 
to all now, and till time shall be no longer is, "Observe all 
things whatsoever I have commanded you." To add to his 
institutions- now is more criminal under the superior light of 
the gospel and after the warnings given us at the expense of 
others, than it was under the old dispensation. He has sur- 
rounded the worship, embodied and prescribed by his revealed 
truth, with a barrier far more terrible than that death which stood 
to guard the flaming mountain of Sinai — a barrier which they 
who break through, though they may not instantly be k k put to 
death, " yet shall they in the end find that it is a fearful thing 
to trifle with the threatenings, and brave the vengeance of the 
living God. ' 1 1 testify unto every man that heareth the words 
of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these 



THE OBJECT. 



281 



things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in 
this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of 
the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of 
the book of life and out of the holy city, and from the things 
which are written in this book." 

This language is clear and terrible. It is, as it were, a 
flaming sword which God has placed at the end of his book, to 
warn every man of the awful danger of adding to, or taking 
from the book. We may be told that this language refers 
simply to the book of the Revelation. Then we must not touch 
John's book of revelation, while ail the other books are subject to 
our revision or addition. We claim the language applies to every 
part of the book of God. This being true, how can any man 
dare to add anything to the book, especially in view of the 
threatening, k - God shall add unto him the plagues that are 
written in this book;" or how can any man take away from the 
book in view of the threatening, L ' God shall take away his 
part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from 
the things which are written in this book ?" Men may tell us 
that they do not take from, nor add to the book; but if they 
pervert its meaning, or set up institutions which the book does 
not authorize, it amounts to the same thing. 

There is no principle more fully established in God's word 
than this, that a regard to his authority is the essence of all 
religion. Our faith is right, only in so far as w r e are influenced 
by God's authority in revealing. Our practice is right, only in 
so far as we have regard to his authority in commanding. This 
regard must extend to everything that he has commanded, even 
to the "nine and twenty knives." I may be told that my 
religion is very strict. No ! It is not strict enough. A strict 
religion, that is the very thing we want. A religion that is of 
such a cost that it does not know how to alter — a religion that 
comes from the infallible head of the church, Jesus Christ our 
Lord, and which to the latest time is like the law and the 
prophets — not one jot nor tittle must fail while the earthen- 



282 



THEIE ACTION. 



dureth. Let the men who think we may alter this, and alter 
that, remember that every error tends to weaken our spirit- 
uality. And though we may not be able to determine how far 
men may go in error, and still have some spirit of religion, 
there is a point in the progress of error where all spirituality 
is gone. But it is not merely the effect upon ourselves, 
that we are to consider. Whatever religion God has ordained, 
it is ours to practice, without the slightest alteration; and to 
alter any one point of God's commands is an act of dire profan- 
ation; however reasonable the. alteration may seem to be, it is 
treason against high heaven. 

We must not fritter away the truths of the God of heaven to 
please carnal and worldly men. We must not leap over the 
limits Jehovah has adjusted, nor place our own inventions in 
the room of his behests. We must not demean ourselves as 
though we esteemed the huzzas of worms superior to the 
answer of a good conscience and the concurrence of the judge 
of the earth. We must not, with "axes and hammers." cut 
and break down the "carved work of the sanctuary," nor de- 
molish those marks God has made to point out the path of duty. 
We must not set up our own excogitations, and then say of 
them as haughty Naaman said, "Are not Abana and Parphar. 
rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters .of Israel P 5 We 
must not like apostatizing Israel, set up our "thresholds'" 
against God's thresholds, and our posts against Christ's posts: 
it is an endeavor to disseize him of his right — to dictate rules 
for the conscience, and regulations for his own worship — it is 
to contaminate his pure prescript with our own inventions and 
pollute his holy name. Such an attempt to add to what 
infinite wisdom has spoken is both foolish and dangerous. It is 
more foolish than to attempt to add. by the k * smoke of the 
pit," to the splendor of the meridian sun — it is infinitely more 
dangerous than to rush upon the drawn sword — it is to stretch 
out the hand against God — to sport with the damnation of hell. 

c The Adherence of these men to Saul carries Obedience to 



THE OBJECT. 



283 



his Laws. They did not cry out, 4 1 God save the king, " and 
then sneak off, and take up the language of the crowd, 4 4 How 
can this man save us?" No, they clave to his person; they 
surrounded him with their shields, as well as with their shouts; 
and while their acclamations rang through the air, their spears 
glittered in the light, and they stood ready to execute his com- 
mands. 

This remark must not be passed by, for it is not unusual to 
meet with persons who have cried, "God save - the king," but 
who have never held up a shield, or pointed a spear in his 
defense — who have learned his tactics and can repeat his laws; 
but who have lived either in the total neglect of his laws, or in 
the presumptuous violation of them. The language of their 
profession is, 4 4 All that the Lord hath said we will do, and be 
obedient;" but if their future conduct be inquired into, it will 
be found that though they had professed to be the Lord's, they 
afterwards denied him. The utmost fluency of speech about 
the commandments of Christ is vain if duty is not done, and 
we are all the while estranged from his spirit and temper. 
Many join in the popular shout, "God save the King," who 
never appear on parade, fully equipped with shield and spear. 
This is but to affront him amidst the highest professions of zeal 
for his service. A more deformed character can scarcely be 
imagined, than that of a man whose head is filled with specula- 
tions, while his heart is devoted to his lusts. The loyal subject 
of Christ is a man who goes where he goes, follows where he 
leads, and does what he enjoins. Gratitude prompts him, not 
to live unto himself, but to him who died for him and rose 
again: and the more difficult the service, the more does he 
rejoice that he is honored with an opportunity of testifying his 
attachment to his Savior, and his fidelity to him. His flagging 
energies are ever and anon excited and invigorated by the ani- 
mating address of Jesus, 4 4 Ye are my friends, if ye do what- 
soever I command you. " 

No man can give this evidence of friendship for Christ until 



284 



THEIR ACTION. 



he is renewed. While in his natural state, he is universally, 
continually, and eminently prone to evil — to pamper the appe- 
tites of his body, and follow out the corrupt impulses of his 
animal passions. It is an inevitable law of our present condi- 
tion, that these convert themselves into poison, when pursued 
to excess. Whenever reason drops the reins of government, 
it is taken captive by vice and becomes his willing slave. The 
natural propensities being thus at full liberty swell beyond their 
prescribed limits; and whenever they pass these bounds, they 
are transformed into monsters, and exhibit their pernicious 
effects. Corrupt nature now develops itself by the production 
of abominable works, which are condemned by the Scriptures, 
and against which even the light of nature proclaims — works 
which prostrate the true dignity of man's mind, and are in direct 
opposition to the end of his existence. What now is there to 
restrain the mighty torrent of turbulent passions, drive them 
back to their natural and proper channel, and purify them from 
that corrupt principle through the influence of which they are 
carried to such unbounded extremes ? 

This evil cannot be removed by the restraints of civil gov- 
ernment, by a regard for reputation of character, or by any 
conflicting worldly motives. These considerations may give 
another direction to its operations, or stimulate to greater care 
in indulging it; but cannot eradicate the propensity. This is a 
work to which the faith of the gospel alone is adequate. In the 
bowels of the Redeemer's righteousness is contained the only 
effectual astringent for unruly lusts. To purify the sinner of 
every exhibition of innate corruption is the practical effect 
which the sufferings of the Messiah are calculated to produce. 
This is the principal object which the gospel is commissioned to 
accomplish. Christ was crucified that the old man might be 
crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, 
that henceforth we should not serve sin. Here are contained the 
only motives that through the operations of the Holy Spirit 
will exert such a power upon the depraved nature of men as 



THE OBJECT. 



285 



will overcome their evil propensities; and will lead them from 
what so degrades their characters, allies them to the brutes, 
and blasts their happiness, to what is spiritual, and will elevate, 
sanctify, redeem, and unite them to God. 

We can have no difficulty then in determining what should 
be the character of those who make a profession of religion. 
Persons who are friendly to its principles, and who are influ- 
enced thereby, will exhibit a picture of its loveliness. Nothing 
is more contradictory, horrible than a professor of Christianity 
following his corrupt inclinations and figuring by his walk an 
effigy of hell. And does the sanctuary of God know nothing 
of such characters % Can we only find them in heathen coun- 
tries, or in a profane and profligate world ? Oh ! that it were 
so. Cast your eyes toward the sacred enclosures of Jesus 
Christ, and there you will behold them stalking in all their 
deformity. Thousands have the effrontery to touch the sacred 
altar, and take on them its solemn obligations, who scruple not 
to join in the mad re veilings of the tippling house — to quaff 
the poisonous contents of the bowl that is there dealt out — to 
give loose reins to their sensual appetites and unruly desires — 
to commit all those sins which corrupt nature inclines them unto, 
and which are acted in and by the inferior higher, and nobler 
powers of the soul. Under the cloak of their profession they 
still have their conversation in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling 
the desires of the flesh and of the mind. They submit to no 
restrictions, and allow no ingredients to mingle with and qualify 
the draft of their greedy licentiousness. Notwithstanding all 
they affect to believe, and the powerful motives to purity of 
heart and life that is presented by that pure revelation from 
the bosom of the Eternal, to which they profess to adhere, it is 
still true of them, they are carnal. 

Among these characters there are many, we doubt not, of 
the same description of some who existed in the apostolic 
times, whom Jude describes as "ungodly men, turning the 
grace of our God into lasciviousness. " These are persons who 



286 



THEIR ACTION. 



plead an excuse for sin from the abounding nature of grace. A 
sophistry more infamous was never devised. This is a prin- 
ciple which a reasoning Paul cast from him with contempt. 
What ! continue in sin that grace may abound ! Give the 
reins to grovelling lust — harden ourselves in impiety, by the 
extent of the gospel grace, the design of which is to reduce 
men from sin, and bring them to God ! Abominable indeed is 
that heresy that would thus attempt to make the principles of 
grace a mere pander to the desires of the flesh, and turn them 
into an occasion of working all uncleanness with greediness. 
This is an exertion to poison the waters of purity at their very 
fountain, and educe the elements of hell from the immaculate 
gift of heaven — to form a monster in the moral creation, of 
which no abhorrence can be too great, no destiny too dreadful. 
This is the sin of sins, the monster of iniquities; and they who 
indulge in it are the vilest of the vile. We err not when we 
say they are still in total depravity — altogether under the 
supremacy of lust. Their whole care is how they can gratify 
their animal appetites. They regard the end of their existence 
as consisting in making provision for the lusts of the flesh. 
Chief home of their delights is in banquetings, and revellings, 
and such like. For this they willingly sacrifice the favor of God, 
their peace of conscience, and the prospect of eternal happiness. 
They serve not the Lord but their own depraved inclinations. 
They are in truth worshippers of their own loathsome corrup- 
tions. Their God is their depravity. They put this in the 
place of the God of heaven; and are as guilty of idolatry as if 
they had chiselled out an image from the rock of the mountain ; 
and were continually employed in pouring out before it their 
impious adorations. 

Now in opposition to this it is very important for us to 
observe how much stress is laid in Scripture upon the deeds of 
men. Hearing the word is not enough — ' 4 Be ye doers of the 
word, and not hearers only, deceiving 3^0111* own selves." 
Knowledge is not enough — "If ye know these things, happy 



287 



THE OBJECT. 



are ye if ye do them." Faith is not enough — "Faith without 
works is dead." Outward acts of worship are not enough — 
"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." Christian pro- 
fession is not enough — "Not every one that saith unto me, 
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he 
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." 

The language of the church in the prophecy of Isaiah on this 
point is strong. kt Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh 

righteousness But we are all as an unclean thing, and all 

our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." 

Here is the description of a Christian. He is one that 
' * rejoiceth and worketh righteousness. " But this righteousness 
must be a different righteousness from that which is afterwards 
described as filthy rags; for how could saints rejoice to work 
such things ? When therefore the church exclaims, ' ' We are 
all as an unclean thing; and all our righteousnesses are as filthy 
rags," it refers to their morals in their unregenerate state. 
Then, and then only it was that they were all as an unclean 
thing; and of consequence then all their righteousnesses were as 
filthy rags. But sure as filthy rags can never adorn, these 
words are quite inapplicable to the saints, whose conversation 
adorns the doctrine of God our Savior — quite inapplicable to 
the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of 
God is of great price. The saints are washed, and how can 
they be as an unclean thing, and their righteousnesses as filthy 
rags? They are said to be in the beauties of holiness more than 
the womb of the morning. What is more beautiful than the 
chambers of the east when the sun is about to come forth ? 
But God is said to meet those that rejoice and work righteous- 
ness: that is, he approves and accepts of them. What ! 
approves and accepts of those, who are all as an unclean thing, 
and whose righteousnesses are as filthy rags % Since God can- 
not but love himself, he must also delight in that which is 
like himself. By his nature he cannot but love that which is 
agreeable to his nature. He would deny his own nature if he 



28S 



THEIR ACTION. 



did not love everything wherein the image of his own nature 
is expressed. On the other hand, it is impossible for him to 
delight in anything that is contrary to his nature, as it is 
impossible that he should not be delighted with that which is 
according to his nature. If then God meets those who dili- 
gently apply themselves to the exercises of Christian holiness, 
Christian holiness must be agreeable to his nature, and if so, it 
must be a good thing. There is not the least necessity of 
speaking diminutively of evangelical righteousness, in compari- 
son with the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is 
legal, not evangelical righteousness, which rivals Christ's right- 
eousness in the matter of justification. Evangelical righteous- 
ness, on the one hand, implies the renunciation of self -right- 
eousness, and on the other hand, the acceptance of the surety's 
righteousness. Evangelical righteousness follows the imputa- 
tion of the surety's righteousness. The surety's righteousness 
is our safety, evangelical righteousness is our comfort. The 
one is our confidence, the other is our evidence. Evangelical 
righteousness, being the fruit of the Spirit, can no more sup- 
plant Christ's righteousness than the Spirit can oppose the Son. 

Now from all this it is evident that the Savior demands 
obedience to his requirements. It is easy to echo the popular 
praise, "Never man spake like this man'' — to sing with the 
palm branch strewers in the Messiah's path, 1 k Hosannah to the 
Son of David," while we keep not his sayings, nor endeavor to 
walk according to his will. But such conduct will never rank 
us among his true disciples. To approve his commands — to 
discuss their meaning — to wish that we could fashion our lives 
in unison with them so far as it goes is well; but the grand, 
the essential point to be ascertained is, are we doing what he 
bids us ? For there are man} r now, as in Ezekiel's time, who 
speak one to another, saying, "Come, I pray you, and hear 
Avhat is the word that cometh forth from the Lord " — who sit 
in God's sanctuary as his people sit, and hear his words, but 
will not do them. The preacher is unto them as a very lovely 



THE OBJECT. 



289 



song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an 
instrument: for they hear his words but they do them not. 

Now if truth was given to be a model for our actions, then 
nothing is more plain than our duty to follow its directions. 
It seems strange that any should ever have set forth a system 
of religion, excluding obedience and good works, or if it 
included them at all, placed them in the low ground, as if fear- 
ful to set them forward as the end and perfection of the whole 
to which everything else leads, and in which everything else is 
to terminate. Now true religion is, with great beauty and 
propriety, styled a walking in the truth. A life of sobriety, 
righteousness, and godliness is just Principle reduced to Prac- 
tice. Now we dare not affirm that our hearts are good while 
leading different lives. True the best men have their faults, as 
blighted fruit may be found on the best trees; but the good 
can no more practice iniquity so as to continue in it than the 
bad can bring forth habitually the fruits of righteousness. A 
good heart will always appear in the life by a good conversa- 
tion. Good works evidence the genuineness of faith. It is by 
practice that we can show the value of principle. No man can 
form any opinion of our inward views and feelings. Christian 
experience is invisible. Actions are the only touch stones by 
which the world can try the reality of our faith. These come 
under observation, and afford an estimate of religion by the 
excellency of its influence. Now an open and steadfast appear- 
ance for God, in a profession of his name, a diligent perform- 
ance of all the duties of that profession, public and private, a 
constant watchfulness against all that is inconsistent with our 
holy profession should evidently be maintained. But this is by 
no means uniformly the case among professors. There are 
many who have presumption enough to force themselves into 
the sacred precincts of the church of Christ, gravely assent to 
every proposition that is read and explained to them in order to 
their admission, promise the whole course of life required by 
their profession, and at the same time heartily mean and pur- 

19 



290 



THEIR ACTION. 



pose nothing. Follow them into the world and observe 
their conduct there, and they are as careless and unconcerned 
about duty, as if they had never taken upon them its solemn 
obligations. They care nothing about the vows of baptism or 
the profession they have made. In their families they keep 
aloof from all religious exercises together. There is no secret 
prayer, no family worship in their habitations, nor the least 
regard paid to anything spiritual or Christian. Now that con- 
science must be wrought upon by a very curious kind of 
deception that would presume to call this religion, or found 
upon it any encouraging expectations. Professors of this 
description ought certainly to have more consideration than to 
be deceiving themselves in this manner. They have reflection 
enough to perceive it, if they would but exercise it; yea. we 
are sure that their own consciences must be a continual standing 
witness against them. They, indeed, may imagine that they 
are the friends of the gospel, and that they have a great regard 
both for Christ and his people, but what are they in reality ? 
It is a painful task to rob any of their hopes, and to denounce 
the terrors of the Lord; but we must, at the peril of our souls, 
endeavor to undeceive those who are blinded by these delusions. 
Let such know then that they are enemies to the religion of 
Christ. Now what is it that constitutes an enemy ? I care not 
what a man's pretensions to friendship are, yet if he is opposed 
to our interests, and does all in his power to injure us, he is our 
enemy. In matters of religion, therefore, whatever men may 
imagine or profess, they are the enemies of religion, as long as 
in spirit and conduct, they continue hostile to its main 
design. They may affirm their belief in the plan of salvation, 
and may perhaps claim, with no little boldness, an interest in 
the merits of the Redeemers death; yet if they exhibit in their 
passions and lives a direct contravention to the sanctifying 
influences of the cross of Christ, and indulge without a check 
every sensual propensity, are they not enemies of the cross of 
Christ ? Do they not refute the grand design for which it was 



THE OBJECT. 



291 



exhibited ? Do they not degrade it in the view of the world, 
and expose it to public reproach ? Do they not disown and 
renounce all right to the redemption which it purchased ? The 
injury which such professors do to the cause of Christ is incal- 
culable. If they be openly profane, they explode religion 
altogether and deter others from regarding its dictates; if they 
be more decent in their conduct, they lead men, both by their 
conversation and example, to suppose that religion consists in 
mere forms, instead of entire subjection of the will to Christ. 
Alas for religion, if it had no other supporters than these ! It 
would soon be wrapped in the foul covering of infamy, and its 
venerable name would be known no more. Possibly some of 
you may say now, Lo, we surrender ourselves to Christ, from 
this time forth we will not sin, but will endeavor to walk in 
holiness: our vices shall be abandoned, our crimes shall be 
thrown to the winds, and we will turn to God with "full pur- 
pose of and endeavor after new obedience;" but perhaps you 
will soon forget all this; you will weep a tear or two under the 
preaching of God's word; but by to-morrow every tear may be 
dried, and you may have utterly forgotten that you vowed in 
God's house at all. How natural is it for us to act like men 
who see their natural face in a glass, and straightway go out, 
and forget what manner of men they were ? 

My dear brethren, it is not your promises of reformation 
that can save you, it is not your vows, it is not your solemn 
declarations, it is not your tears that are dried up more easily 
than the dew drops by the sun, it is not the transient emotion 
of the heart that constitutes a real surrender to Christ: there 
must be a true and actual abandonment of sin, and a turning 
unto righteousness in real act and deed in every day life. Do 
you say you are sorry and repent, and yet go on from day to 
day just as you always went ? Will you now bow your heads 
and say, ' ' I have resolved and said, that I would keep thy 
holy word, " and still go on committing the same deeds again ? 
If you do, your surrender is worse that nothing, and shall make 



292 



THEIE ACTION. 



your destruction yet more sure; for he that voweth to his 
maker and doth not pay, hath committed another sin, in that 
he hath attempted to deceive the Almighty, and lie against the 
God that made him. 

Now if we would prove ourselves to be Christians, we must 
yield obedience to Christ — obedience to Christ, not in one 
thing, but in all things. You may say we will renounce this 
sin and the other, but there are certain darling lusts which we 
must keep and hold fast. But we are not left to choose for 
ourselves — obey one precept and disobey another — to do what 
we like and leave undone what we do not like. There must be 
no reserve — no holding back in his service. He expects from 
us implicit and unwavering submission. Now here it is that 
so many, like the amiable young ruler, come short. They are 
willing to do much that Christ tells them, bat not all. There 
is something which they cannot give up, or something which 
they are reluctant to perform; and they go away from the Savior 
sorrowful perhaps, but unwilling to yield — unwilling to yield, 
perhaps in but one thing; and that is sufficient to show that they 
have yielded in nothing. 

Mr. Romaine was once addressed by a lady, who expressed the 
great pleasure she enjoyed in his preaching; and added that she 
could comply with his requirements with one exception. 

"And what is that, madam ?" asked Mr. Romaine. 

"Cards, sir." 

"You think you could not be happy without them?" 
' 'No, sir, I know I could not. " 

' 'Then, madam, they are your God, and they must save you. " 

There is truth in this pointed admonition; and if there is any 
sinful preference — any unwelcome daty, which either makes 
you shrink from Christ's service or bring dishonor upon it, give 
up at once that wrong habit — take up at once the appointed 
cross. 

It will not do to hesitate — to halt between two opinions — to 
try to serve God and mammon. A half hearted religion is no 



THE OBJECT. 



293 



religion at all. Religion is compatible with defects, but not with 
partialities. It is not the giving up with one sin, nor fifty sins 
that is a true surrender of ourselves to Christ; but the solemn 
renunciation of every sin. If thou dost harbor one of these ac- 
cursed vipers, thy repentance is but a sham. If thou dost in- 
dulge in but one sin, and give up every other, that one lust, like 
one leak in a ship, will sink thy soul. Think it not sufficient to 
give up thy outward vices, fancy it not enough to cut off the 
more corrupt sins of thy life; it is all or none which God com- 
mands. All sin is the same in its nature, and if we really hate 
one sin, we must hate all sin; and if we love one sin, it is evi- 
dent that we love all sin. The true penitent hates sin in the 
race, not in the individual — in the mass, not in the particular. 
He says, Gild thee as thou wilt, O sin, I abhor thee. Cover 
thyself with pleasure, make thyself gaudy like the snake, with 
its azure colors, I hate thee still; for I know thy venom, and I 
fly from thee, even when thou comest to me in thy most specious 
garb. So far is the true penitent from sparing the smallest lust, 
that if any iniquity has prevailed against him more than another, 
against this with particularity does he level his opposition. He 
casts all to the moles and to the bats, and turns from them with 
perfect loathing, exclaiming, 4i What have I to do any more with 
idols?" 

I can not leave this point without observing that you can not 
prove yourself to be a Christian unless your obedience is habit- 
tied. Religion is not a mere act — a sudden temporary resolve; 
but a remaining habit — a moving forward. We are not to con- 
sider the work of religion accomplished when we have once gone 
to the Savior for pardon and salvation. He is not a Savior 
whom we may forget, having once for all received his benefits. 
It is not your turning from sin to : day that will be a proof that 
you are true converts; but it is your forsaking your sin through- 
out your entire life, until you sleep in your grave. This is not 
a transitory surrender — not the brushing off the dust of a day, 
or the washing off the filth of a week. Not every pang of con- 



294 



THEIR ACTION. 



science — not every tear for sin — not every wish for pardon, 
which are only temporary in their duration, should be dignified 
with the name of religion. 

But such, it is to be feared, is the repentance of many whose 
names are trumpeted abroad as true converts. The Christian 
profession, however, receives but little credit froni such. Their 
root is found to be rottenness, and their blossoms go up as the 
dust. To-day you may pretend to pray, and be very serious; 
and to-morrow you may be honest; and the day after pre- 
tend to be devout; but if you return, as the Scripture saith, like 
the dog to his vomit, and like the sow that was washed to her 
wallowing in the mire, your repentance shall but sink you deeper 
into hell, instead of being a proof of divine grace in your heart. 

It is our persevering attention to the duties of religion, that 
is the proof that the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, 
hath taught us to live righteously and soberly and godly in the 
world. The grace of God influences his people daily in their 
duties; and you must not think that a few devout feelings occa- 
sionally are an evidence that you are under the workings of that 
grace. It is true, believers are subject to many sickly qualms 
and frequent indispositions. Indeed, at times their languishments 
are such, that the operations of the vital principle within them 
are hardly discernible to themselves or others; the vigor of their 
devotions in their most sprightly hours checked, and borne down 
by the body of death under which they groan; } T et still there is 
an inextinguishable spark of life within them which scatters a 
gleam of light into the thickest darkness. The pulse of the 
Spirit though weak, still beats. There is a natural power that 
reluctates and struggles against the counter strivings of the flesh, 
that under the greatest languor puts forth some weak efforts; 
and under the acting power of the Spirit, invigorating the soul 
to mount up with wings as an eagle, to run without wearying, 
and to walk without fainting. 

d The Adherence of these men to Saul carries with it their 
exertions for his Establishment in the Kingdom. Having re- 



THE OBJECT. 



295 



ceived him with such loud acclamations, their ambition would be 
to see him honored as king by all the people of the kingdom. 
They would use all their influence to overcome the opposition 
that was raised against him, and would rejoice when they saw 
the people coming together at his call for the defense of the 
kingdom. 

Whoever loves Christ will love his cause. That a missionary 
zeal is a good thing, and worthy of approbation, is a sentiment 
in which I think all will concur. There seems, however, to be 
a sentiment prevailing in the Christian world, that it is no part 
of the Christian character, that it is not essential to piety of 
heart, and that a man may be entirely destitute of it without any 
forfeiture of his character as a Christian. 

How this sentiment has found its way there, I stop not 
to inquire. It is undoubtedly a mistake. In opposition to it 
I maintain that there can be no piety without a missionary 
spirit, that it is the main evidence of the spiritual life; that all the 
other graces are graduated by its impulse; and that if there are 
no vibrations here, a deadness pervades throughout the whole 
soul. In short, I maintain that a spirit of Christianity, and a 
spirit of missions is just one and the same thing. What is a 
spirit of Christianity? It is the spirit of him who came down 
from heaven to seek and save that which was lost. It implies 
an abhorrence of all sin, and a desire for its universal extinction — 
a love of holiness, and a desire for its universal prevalence. It 
is a spirit which in conformity to the Angel's anthem seeks to 
bring glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and 
good will towards men: and what is this but the spirit that in- 
fluences men to embrace every opportunity of erecting the 
throne of the Redeemer's kingdom in the hearts of destitute 
mortals? It is vain to say that the spirit of missions is some- 
thing with which the Christian has nothing to clo. It is the 
same thing as saying that he is a Christian who has no love for 
Christ — no regard for his glory. No man can put on strength 
for the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom, until he is first 



296 



THEIR ACTION. 



strengthened with all might in the inner man. The moment he 
is thus strengthened he will be disposed to put on strength for 
the spread of the gospel. Whenever persons have got a sight of 
Christ, they will have a desire for others to see him. When they 
have been brought to see the value of their own souls, and feel a 
concern for their own salvation, they must be anxious to rescue 
from perdition such as are perishing in every direction around 
them. Thus when the woman of Samaria, with whom our Sav- 
ior talked at the well, had found out that he was the Messiah, 
she swiftly ran and preached him to her friends and neighbors. 
She excited their attention by telling them that she had seen a 
most extraordinary person who had told her the whole history of 
her past life; and she bid them come with her and see if this was 
not the Christ. "Philip findeth Nathaniel, and saith unto him, 
We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, 
did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." After the out- 
pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, what a 
mighty running there was to tell about Christ ! Why was this ? 
Doubtless, it was because their hearts were filled with love to 
God. These examples serve to show the inseparable connection 
there is between strength in Christian grace, and strength in 
Christian action. They are indissolubly joined together. It is 
the veriest absurdity to suppose that they can be put asunder. 
The reign of a missionary spirit in any heart does actually grad- 
uate the measure of piety in that heart. I can not understand 
how any one can love God, and not the souls of men — how they 
can love the blessed Savior, and not endeavor to promote his 
cause. Can we behold the poor heathen, without the Bible, 
wandering in the wilds of error, without light and hope, strangers 
to solid peace and lasting enjoyment, poor in spirit, faint in cour- 
age, tossed like a bark on the boisterous ocean, exposed to the 
angry blasts of heaven, and in danger of being dashed to de- 
struction amidst the shoals and quicksands — can we reflect that 
they must endure the wrath of God through eternity, and make 
no exertions to rescue them ? I say, can we consider these things 



THE OBJECT. 



297 



without being moved with pity for them? Such insensibility to 
the temporal and eternal wretchedness of men, does not look 
like the mind that was in Christ Jesus. It involves in it a dis- 
regard for the glory of God, and an indifference about the honor 
of Christ. I would seriously question the piety of the man who, 
when he is called to put on zeal, and strength, and prayers and 
exertions according to his ability in behalf of missions, would 
put us off with, "I pray you have me excused." I can not see 
how charity herself could believe that that man had any of the 
Spirit of Christ. 

But some one will say you can not expect me to do anything 
towards the advancement of the Kedeemer's cause. Behold ! I 
am a dry tree — my station is obscure — my means scant — my 
talents mean — my opportunities limited. But every one has an 
influence either for good or evil. I remember when I was a 
boy of diverting myself by casting pebbles into a pond of water, 
and noticing how from the center circular undulations spread 
out one after another, until the whole surface of the water was 
covered. When I came to greater maturity of reflection I read 
this lesson in my youthful sport — that every stroke on the moral 
waters, whether good or bad, multiplied in its effects until it 
reached the shores of eternity — the good strokes brightening 
into the pure light of heaven, and the bad strokes darkening 
into the blackness of hell. 

Strike then for good. Do not be discouraged because you 
can not make a great splash. The smallest pebble will ripple 
the water. Do what you can, like the woman who anointed 
Christ with precious ointment previous to his burial, ' 'She hath 
done what she could" — in her circumstances, to put honor on 
Christ — that good deed will be spoken of as a memorial of her 
while the world stands; and is now an element of her enjoyment 
in the heavenly world. 

"Well then, tell what I can do to honor Christ and further 
his cause. " 

First, then, I would tell you to embrace Christ for yourself. 



298 



THEIR ACTION. 



Until you do this you will have little disposition to recommend 
him to others, or to exert yourself for the furtherance of his 
cause. Then I would tell you to make a public profession of 
Christ. Christ requires this. "Whosoever therefore shall con- 
fess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father 
which is in heaven. " Then if you are the head of a family, I 
would tell you to erect a family altar, and worship God morn- 
ing and evening by singing his praise, reading his word, and 
calling on him by prayer. Then I would tell you to be diligent 
in teaching your family the doctrines of God's holy word. By 
the ordination of God, parents are the spiritual instructors of 
their children, and they have no authority from God to give the 
religious training of their children into other hands. Children 
are solemnly directed to look to their parents for religious in- 
struction. "Ask thy father, and he will shew thee." And no 
command from heaven is more clearly revealed or more vigor- 
ously enforced than the command to parents in regard to the re- 
ligious training of their children. ' 'These words, which I com- 
mand thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach 
them diligently unto thy children." 

I was called in the providence of God a few years ago to attend 
a family reunion. There were five hundred persons present, all 
springing from two brothers. Some had passed off the stage: 
some who were still living were not present. I was never more 
deeply impressed with the importance of family religion than I 
was that day; for surely, I thought, if all families — families 
where the voice of praise and prayer ascended to God, and the 
principles of our holy religion were taught, the blessed results 
to a community would be such as no tongue could speak, no lan- 
guage could describe; for still as they would spread they would 
carry their religion with them; and the result for good to the 
community would be unspeakable. On the other hand I thought, 
if there be a curse to any country where the truths of religion 
are known; the deepest, bitterest curse which can be inflicted is 
a multitude of irreligious homes. Such families send forth their 



THE OBJECT. 



299 



offspring unchecked in evil thoughts, unhallowed in their habits, 
untaught in love to God — they send them forth to prey upon the 
land, and to become its curse, and its destruction. O ye godless 
homes ! ye are the cause of all the degeneracy which disgraces 
our annals. 

Finally, I would tell you that it is your duty as an individual 
to communicate to all around you whatever you have learned of 
Christ and his gospel. You have authority for this. "The 
Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, 
Come. " This certainly means that it is the duty of every one 
who hears the gospel to re-echo the invitation. ' 'Let him that 
heareth say, Come." Again, "Let the word of Christ dwell in 
you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one an- 
other. " And again < 'Exhort one another daily. " 

I here recur to the incident of the farmer's daughter brought 
into view in the first part of the discourse. Having obtained 
light in her own mind, she could not rest while her friends were 
still in darkness. On her return home from the house she was 
visiting, she mentioned the matter of the young minister's dis- 
course to her father. He was surprised and alarmed, and gave 
her this decided answer, ' 'I desire that you will never speak to 
me on this subject again. It has never before been brought into 
my family, and I beg that I may never hear of it more. " She 
next mentioned the matter to her mother, who also was surprised 
and distressed, and said, ' 'I am your mother and am not to be 
schooled by you; let me hear no more of this." She next tried 
her brothers and sisters but with no better success; all of them 
wondering what had happened to Betsy. But she gradually 
won them over by her sweet and amiable deportment. At length 
she obtained permission from her father to have family worship, 
and twenty persons assembled at that house, night and morning, 
while she sung and read the Scriptures and prayed. A minister 
in the neighborhood had the happiness of admitting into his 
church nine workmen from the estate on which the farm stood; 
and they all dated their conversion to the efforts of the farmer's 



300 



THEIR ACTION. 



daughter. The young minister who has figured in this incident, 
went abroad as a missionary, and long acted a distinguished part 
for Christian usefulness on the continent of Europe. On his re- 
turn to his country he paid a visit to the farm. The father who 
had now grown to be an old man of eighty, came out to meet 
him, and while his silver locks flowed down on his shoulders, he 
exclaimed, u Now sir, we are a whole family going to heaven 
through Christ. And dear Betsy has been the instrument of ac- 
complishing it all." 

This incident illustrates what every one might do without go- 
ing out of their place at all — what every one ought to do — what 
every Christian will do; for be it remembered that a Christian 
can not be a selfish being. The very love that saves him from 
spiritual and eternal death constrains him to live no longer to 
himself. It enlarges his soul and fills it with the purest and 
most exalted benevolence. As soon, therefore, as he begins in 
good earnest to seek the kingdom of heaven for himself, he be- 
gins to desire that others may seek it also. Few who make any 
pretensions to Christian character will expressly deny this duty; 
yet few of those who profess strictness in the faith and practice 
of the gospel fulfil it in anything like the extent and faithful- 
ness which the gospel requires. Is it not a lamentable fact that 
in our social meetings or in common intercourse with our friends 
we forget the one topic which to a Christian mind, it may be 
supposed, is replete with interest, and inexhaustible; and ex- 
haust the world of its topics, and meet to exhaust them again; 
and after business news, and politics, and everything else is dis- 
cussed we begin to weary of each other's society and grow dull 
in conversation for want of topics; still not a syllable, perhaps 
not a thought of each other's spiritual and eternal good. We 
seem as though we could suffer our fellow men to perish forever 
without a single effort to snatch them from destruction. We 
think it wrong to suffer their bodily wants to remain unrelieved, 
but as for the wants of their souls, we hardly think of them. 
We lament, perhaps, at seasons their ignorance and folly; and 



THE OBJECT. 



301 



when they die, we wish they had died Christians. But sighs 
and wishes are not all that Christ requires at our hands. He 
reminds us of what he has done for our souls. He points us to 
the manger and the cross; and tells us to let the same mind be 
in us that was in him. Love for souls is a divine principle — a 
principle that contemplates the eternal more than the temporal 
welfare of man, which actuated the Savior in all the days of his 
humiliation and sorrow, which has ever made those who have 
felt its influence the light of the world and the benefactors of 
mankind, and which must in a greater or less degree sway the 
feeling and conduct of every one who bears the image of Christ. 
You all profess to love your children and friends. And why do 
you love them? Because they are your children and friends. 
Do not even publicans and sinners the same ? Do you ever think 
of their souls, of what value they are, and what a high place they 
hold in the universe, and that there is danger of them being 
lost ? Do you ever feel as if you might not, if you sought the 
opportunity and made the experiment, be inscrumental in saving 
some of them at least? If not, then you know not what it is to 
love the souls of men; and of course must be strangers to the 
love of Christ and God. But if you do, if you have such views 
and feelings, why not obey the impulse they naturally give, and 
go to the individuals and speak to them of their errors, and of 
their souPs salvation. Many imagine that they would be dis- 
posed to be active if they thought themselves qualified to do any 
good. Some think themselves destitute of the requisite talents; 
others that they can not overcome their natural diffidence; and 
others that they have no time or opportunity for such a duty. 
We may judge for ourselves whether such excuses are valid, I 
should say, whether they are not used as apologies for unjustifi- 
able neglect. Whom do we hear complaining of being destitute 
of the requisite talents when he would engage his friend or neigh- 
bor in some worldly scheme ? Though he feel the want of more 
talents, he uses what he has to the best advantage. And why ? 
Because he is deeply interested. And will you, dare you, be- 



202 



THEIR ACTION. 



cause you have not ten talents at your disposal bury the one 
which you have \ Will you, because you have not the qualifi- 
cations of a minister of the gospel, refuse to speak to your rela- 
tive or friend about his salvation \ And who is so overcome by 
natural diffidence and backwardness that he can not speak to 
others on the very subject which lies nearest his own heart \ It 
will be well for him so long as he has none of this diffidence on 
other subjects of importance and interest, to examine hims elf 
and see whether it be not owing in a great degree to his being 
4 'ashamed of the gospel of Christ. n And if there be any who 
plead that they have no time or opportunity for the performance 
of this duty, surrounded as they are by souls that might be 
saved from death; they should doubt the vahdity of their hopes 
as Christians, until they have learned the first lesson of the gos- 
pel, to go about doing good. If you are real Christians you 
will open your mouths on all occasions. You will always have 
something to say that will tell in the book of God's remem- 
brance; you will enter into a covenant with yourselves to make 
it a leading object of your intercourse with your family and 
friends, and the world and the church, to do good to the souls of 
men. 

Let me repeat it: those who do not labor to give impulse and 
success to the gospel have never experienced its happy effects 
in their own souls. Religion does not consist in abstract opin- 
ions, or tender and romantic wishes for the renovation of the 
world; but in a heart}" and conscious effort to send the gospel 
round the globe, and make it tell through eternal ages upon the 
destinies of imperishable souls. What better evidence can we 
devise of a personal interest in the blood of Jesus, than to love 
the same cause which moved his heart, and drew him down from 
heaven and led him to the cross \ He came * -to seek and to save 
that which was lost. " His employment during the few years he 
spent among men was a full proof that his heart was upon his 
mission. The wretched condition of mankind quite engaged the 
benevolent feelings of his soul. No labor was too oppressive. 



THE CHARACTER. 



303 



no sacrifices too costly, no self denial too painful, no humiliation 
too deep, no reproaches too bitter, no threatenings of danger 
and death too fearful for him to encounter, if the Father might 
be glorified and sinners saved. Let the Christian look at this 
lovely example and be instructed. If he would be holy he must 
be like his master. He must fix his heart upon the salvation of 
the world, and employ every power in the mighty work. The 
child of God who pursues the same objects with his divine mas- 
ter, whose spiritual sympathies are made to glow upon the same 
central point can not fail of being assimilated more and more to 
his image. But let not that professor of religion imagine that 
he has passed from death unto life when he can habitually slum- 
ber while the world is dying in sin and sinking down to hell. 
The thing is out of the question. A person can not experience 
the love of God shed abroad in his heart without prayer and ex- 
ertion that others may enjoy the same blessed privilege. The 
benevolent heart can not wrap itself up in insensibility and pur- 
sue a kind of solitary course to heaven without any emotion for 
them who are marching to the world of despair. No, he will 
say to all around him, as Moses said to Hobab, "Come thou with 
us, and we will do thee good; for the Lord hath spoken good 
concerning Israel. " 

II. We come now to the second branch of this division of the 
subject, which was to point out the Character of the Action of 
this Band of Men. 

a It was decided. They made up their minds to follow Saul, 
or they would not have followed him at all. No man can take 
one step in religion until he decides to be religious. While men 
are hesitating about religion they may know that they are not 
under the workings of efficacious grace, for it turns the heart of 
the sinner at once. Religion is the result of a purpose to be re- 
ligious. Decision is a leading element of religion; and no man 
can be religious without it. If the whole image is stamped upon 
the believer, conformity to his moral immutability will not be 
wanting. The true believer, therefore, will imitate God in the 



304 



THEIR ACTION. 



steadiness of his counsels, purposes, and actions. We are like 
God in this perfection, when we obtain a firm persuasion of the 
eternal difference between good and evil, and live under a sense 
of this persuasion. We will fix to ourselves sure principles of 
action and do what we design to do. Our determination will be 
like that of the Psalmist, "I have resolved, and said, that I 
would keep thy holy word. " Men are afraid to bind themselves 
with a deliberate resolve; but until they do this, they will do 
nothing. If a man wishes to be a scholar, he must be a scholar. 
If he desires a certain profession, he must be that profession. 
We can never be holy, until we resolve to be holy. He is a fool 
who fixes his mind on an object, and makes a few languid en- 
deavors, and then turns his attention to something else. To all 
such the dying words of the patriarch Jacob to his son Reuben 
are applicable, $ 'Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel. " What 
will a man gain, if he has no point at which he aims to advance ? 
What will a traveller gain who moves at random, and it is no 
matter to him whether he turns aside or draws back? When a 
man fixes his aim, his aim will simplify his conduct, arrange his 
actions, and give everything a relation. ' 'This one thing I do," 
says Paul. It is not oneness of exertion of which he speaks, for 
he did a thousand things; but oneness of purpose, which com- 
bined them all and gave them the same direction. And this man 
of decision knew how to give direction to others upon this point. 
u Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines: for it 
is a good thing that the heart be established with grace. " Yes, 
established, like a rock in the midst of the ocean that is not 
moved from its place whether the surging waves around it ebb 
or flow. It is not bigotry the apostle is inculcating. He speaks 
of "divers and strange doctrines," and what is bigotry but a 
stubborn adherence to these? There is a rock — the rock of 
truth; and the man, who digs deep, and lays his foundation on 
this rock, is no bigot. He knows what he believes, and he holds 
it fast. Is the gospel of God such an obscure thing that we 
must remain all our days in uncertainty about it ? If the poor 



THE CHARACTER. 



305 



have the gospel preached to them, and the wayfaring man though 
a fool shall not err therein, surely it is a reproach that some are 
ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 
It is important that we should early decide w T hat is truth, that 
we may make use of it, and live upon it, and enjoy it. Who 
ever saw a sound experience and a consistent practice in connec- 
tion with a loose creed? 

It is painful to contemplate the condition of those who are 
subject to this hesitancy. We believe there are many who are 
living under strong conviction that it is their duty to be relig- 
ious, who can not decide to be religious. They stand on the 
confines of light without abandoning the regions of darkness. 
Sometimes they are almost persuaded to be Christians; they 
hover on the brink of vital truth. Now they decide to take the 
blessed spring forward into its outstretched arms; but now the 
love of sin exerts its power, and they fall back again upon its 
treacherous bosom. Sometimes they are so nearly resolved to 
make the trial that you would almost pronounce upon them do- 
ing so; but in a twinkling a return to sin quenches the desire, 
and all again is cold and dead within their hearts. 

b The action of this Band of Men was Voluntary. Men may 
do right not because they choose to do right, but because they 
are afraid to do otherwise. This band of men w r ent with Saul, 
not because they were overaw T ed by authority, but because "God 
had touched their hearts. " Keep in mind now that religion has 
chiefly to do with the heart — that the divine life has its seat and 
center there — that new principles and motives are planted there, 
and that there spirituality and peace and joy are diffused. It 
avails little to have clear ideas of God — of Christ and his gos- 
pel — of heaven and its glory, if the affections remain dormant 
and unmoved. Yet who does not see numbers entrenched in cold 
forms, who are entire strangers to the vital, soul-elevating power 
of genuine religion? 

It can not be denied that persons may go through an outward 
observance of Christian duties, and yet know and believe noth- 

20 



306 



THEIR ACTION. 



ing of the power and efficacy of evangelical truth. There is a 
great train of carnal influences which may lead persons along in 
the outward performance of religious duty while their hearts 
feel nothing of its excellence. The force of custom, the influ- 
ence of connections, a desire to retain an honorable standing in 
church and society, and horrors of conscience, arising from the 
apprehensions of divine wrath, may drive persons to a great 
length in the observance of the outward duties of religion. 
Break these feeble cords of attachment and there is nothing else 
to bind them; their shell of formality bursts asunder and dis- 
closes the empty void within. 

Even in the apostolic age Paul designates some, as "having a 
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." And if 
formalists were to be found amidst the fiery ordeals of persecu- 
tion to which the first Christians were exposed, we may confi- 
dently expect to find a much larger proportion who have this 
character in our own times. Whatever a man may call himself 
he ought not to be esteemed a Christian, if he is in the habitual 
practice of any voluntary sin. This may be considered a very 
close remark, but we must not question its correctness, for vast 
numbers around us wear the garb of religion who still have their 
walk in the spirit of the world. They profess that they know 
God, but in works deny him, being abominable, and disobedi- 
ent, and unto every good work reprobate. 

There is a strange tendency in our fallen nature to settle upon 
the lees of formality; for as the power of conscience is hard to 
be wholly subdued, a great majority of mankind seek to soothe 
its painful stings by some sort of religious rites and ceremonies. 

The Jews, during our Lord's mysterious sojourn and personal 
ministry on earth, were wholly engrossed and absorbed by a 
multitude of religious ceremonies. They were punctual to a 
scruple in frequenting the temple, and the synagogues, in re- 
peating their prayers, and performing their vows, though all this 
was heartless task work; yet on the number and exactness of 
such observances they fixed their dependence, and raised their 



THE CHARACTER. 



307 



credit. Having the form of knowledge, and of the truth in the 
law, they made their boast of God, and deemed themselves his 
special favorites. ' 'For he is not a Jew, " says Paul, ' 'which is 
one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in 
the flesh; but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcis- 
ion is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter; whose 
praise is not of men, but of God. " 

But the evil which the inspired writer here meant to reprobate 
was not confined to one people, or one age; it is everywhere too 
prevalent. The melancholy fact must be admitted that there 
are dead formalists in every community. Where knowledge 
and spirituality are lacking, though men bring in their tale of 
religious duties, they are of no value. They have no gracious 
affections within them, shooting their roots deep, and entwining 
themselves around divine truth. They have no great delight in 
ordinances and private duties, merely for their own sake. They 
may, it is possible, have some clear views of truth, and enjoy 
some intellectual pleasure in contemplating it in the abstract; 
they may attend, with some degree of diligence, on the ordi- 
nances of divine grace, and occasionally search their Bibles, and 
wait with some external reverence on the preaching of the word, 
and express their assent to the doctrines delivered, but their 
heart does not obey the truth, but pursues its own course in an 
independent manner. They can bring up at stated times a suf- 
ficient quantity of apparently serious thoughts to satisfy their 
consciences, and carry them through a form of Christianity; but 
all their religious feelings, and all their exercises are for set 
times; and they feel no need or desire for them till the time 
comes again; and for serious, godly conversation and the prac- 
tical part of personal religion they have no taste at all. The 
performance of religious duties is evidently not their element; 
they can find no pleasure therein; and if the grounds of attach- 
ment were removed, they would rather be disposed to dispense 
with it as a tiresome drudgery. Hence in every religious ex- 
ercise they perform a task. They are like machines impelled 



308 



THEIR ACTION. 



by force; they are influenced only by external considerations. 
They would love God better if he would excuse them from the 
hateful obligation. They put off their duties as long as possi- 
ble, resort to them with reluctance, adjust the measure with a 
niggardly grudge, and are glad of any excuse for neglect. While 
laboring at the drudgery, they entertain hard thoughts of the 
cruel task-master, who can impose such severities upon them, 
and sigh inwardly, 4 'When shall the Sabbath be over ? When 
shall we unbend these spiritual restraints, and find ourselves at 
home in the world?" Can this be religion? Is there anything 
in this suitable to the nature of God, who is a Spirit, or to the 
demands of God who cries, "Son, give me thy heart." "Serve 
the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with singing." 
Hence it is easy to understand why religion is such a demure, 
miserable thing to the unregenerate. They have no renewed 
heart, and it is hard to swim against the stream. Their forced 
conformity to God is of no possible value in his eyes. 

Truth is a system of love — an overflow of the divine blessed- 
ness, as is intimated by its being called, 4 'The glorious gospel" — 
a system of reconciliation, peace, and forgiveness, full of the 
most amazing condescension and spotless rectitude. To walk in 
truth like this is to walk in love, and be of the same mind with 
him from whom it emanated. Now while these formal profes- 
sors do not deny godliness or religion, they renounce the au- 
thority which its truths claim over the heart, and the affections, 
and thoughts within. All their pretences to reformation are but 
a dead, superficial thing, a mere garment of hypocrisy, an empty 
appearance, a shadowy form to hide themselves and others; and 
affords them neither solid peace nor lasting advantage. God can 
only delight in his own life, his own goodness, and his own per- 
fections; and therefore can not delight or dwell in any creature 
but where his own goodness and perfections are to be found. 
Like can only unite with like, heaven with heaven, and hell with 
hell; and therefore the life of God must be the life of the soul. 
The professor of religion then whose soul is destitute of this can 



THE CHARACTER. 



309 



know nothing, feel nothing, taste nothing, delight in nothing, 
but with carnal senses after a carnal manner. His soul is turned 
off from God, made a house of darkness, and fed with the empty 
husks of carnality. 

g The Action of this Band of Men was Bold. They were 
not daunted in the slightest degree, or for a moment, by the 
number and power of those who were opposed to them; but went 
calmly and unflinchingly forward in the execution of their pur- 
pose. 

Remember, Christian, that you are engaged in a war. The 
practiced foe draws nigh to you prepared to parley or to strike. 
Hold no truce with him. It is less dangerous far to stand and 
dare his phalanx than trust his specious lie. When a crisis be- 
falls us, and the emergency requires moral courage and noble 
manhood to meet it, we should be equal to the requirements of 
the moment and rise superior to the obstacles in our path. The 
magnitude of the danger needs nothing more than greater effort 
at our hands. We should be strong and manly, and oppose 
equal forces to open difficulties, and trust in God. We should 
not turn timorous when we ought to be courageous. If we prove 
recreant in the hour of trial, we are the worst of all recreants, 
and deserve no sympathy. The universal testimony of men who 
have had to contend with opposition furnishes the consolatory 
reflection that opposition may be ended by opposition. The 
cloud whose threatening murmurs you hear will burst with bless- 
ings on your head; and the frown whose sternness now makes 
you shudder and tremble will ere long be succeeded by the fas- 
cination of sweetness and benignity, like the smiling face of 
heaven as irradiated by the beauteous hues of the bow of prom- 
ise, presaging as it does the Supreme Being riding on the whirl- 
wind and directing the storm. 

This courage mast be distinguished from a proud and deter- 
mined obstinacy. The basis of that is a blind infatuation, and 
egregious ignorance of the immaculate purity of God, and of a 
judgment to come. This rests on an enlightened and evangel- 



310 



THEIR ACTION. 



ical assurance of the favor and interposition of him who will 
judge the world in righteousness. The one is a temporary and 
unnatural energy put forth by one laboring under a fit of delir- 
ium. It carries in it an impression of self-importance, and a 
studied and stupid indifference to the consequences of danger, 
and can never be uniformly maintained. It is also most gener- 
ally connected with a certain ferocity of disposition, and the ab- 
sence of kind and tender feelings. Inspired by it the assassin 
may attack the highway traveller — the mariner brave the dan- 
gers of the deep — and the renowned hero rush amid the thun- 
derings of an enemy's artillery. This ferocity is illustrated in 
the case of Peter. When the multitude came to apprehend our 
Lord, he boldly unsheathed his sword to fight against a whole 
band of well armed soldiers; and had it been a case which re- 
quired the decision of the sword, no doubt Peter would have 
died a glorious death; but in a little while afterwards he quails 
before a maid and shamefully denies that he knew anything of 
Christ. Men may fight for their honor and their country, and 
not be able to contend for the truth of God. 

But Christian courage, on the contrary, is founded on humil- 
ity; and on an indifference to human applause. It is deep con- 
viction of the paramount importance of duty — an affecting view 
of our obligations to God, and a delightful prospect of an eter- 
nal reward which overpowers the natural dread of reproach, of 
trial, and of danger. This kind of courage too can blend with 
the most tender and compassionate feelings — with the most lively 
desire to please all men for their edification; and so far from a 
forgetfulness of danger being essential to its existence, it can 
contemplate danger in all its formidable shapes. Its strength 
lies in the conviction that in the conscientious discharge of duty 
no affliction can befall us without the permission of God. and 
none but that shall be overruled for our eternal advantage. 
Those who are under its power rest upon God as the gracious 
controller of all human events, and are prompted to * -endure as 
seeing him who is invisible," and induced into a cordial submis- 



THE CHARACTER. 



311 



sion to his will, who hath said, 'All things work together for 
good to them that love God. " Instead of a frigid insensibility, 
generated by a blind persuasion of the irrevocable decrees of 
fate, there is a glowing and cheerful acquiescence in his arrange- 
ments, whose wisdom is commensurate with his infinite good- 
ness. Thus the primitive Christians took joyfully the spoiling 
of their goods; and in addition to the confiscation of their prop- 
erty often submitted to imprisonment, to bonds, and to death. 

Courage, then, is at once perceived to be an essential element 
of Christianity. Without it no Christian could meet even the 
common difficulties of life in a becoming Christian manner. 
This world is a region of so many dangers and difficulties that 
in no situation can we possess perfect safety. To pass through 
it upon a path illuminated with the continual sunshine of pros- 
perity is what none can expect to do. Calm and unruffled the 
ocean may sometimes be, but the waves will rise and the billows 
lash. Clear and serene the atmosphere will sometimes be, but 
the storm will gather and the thunder roll. So it will turn out 
unto man in his journey through life. Tranquillity he may 
sometimes enjoy, and appear free from all surrounding calamity; 
but this is by no means an assurance to him that he shall never 
see sorrow; yea, rather it is often but the prelude of an approach- 
ing storm, like the deceitful stillness of nature which precedes 
and presages an earthquake. He has something continually to 
fear. Over his atmosphere an occasional cloud will pass. From 
some quarter a billow will roll in; yea, deeps unto assembling 
deeps will often call, and with mighty violence rush upon him. 

Now without some degree of courage a man is very unfit to 
meet these things. He who is of a fearful spirit lives under 
continual consternation. The moment his atmosphere begins to 
gather blackness, that moment his heart begins to fail. The 
very first mutterings of the thunder that is about to break over 
his head in louder peals sends horror throughout his whole soul. 
He trembles at the very thought of dangers. He anticipates 
with dread difficulties that may never come upon him. Over 



312 



THEIR ACTION. 



scenes of future ill do his thoughts roll with vain impatience. 
In the midst of a perfect calm he will imagine the waves to be 
rolling around him. The little wave he will imagine to be a bil- 
low of immense size. His mind is fretted with continual trepi- 
dation. He is like a house built upon the sand which every 
breeze makes totter. Thus does he rob himself of the free en- 
joyment of life, and distrusts that God who has said, "Fear thou 
not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God." 

More particularly without this disposition of mind no man 
could stand in the field of conflict for truth. The human heart 
everywhere intensely depraved, a worldliness and aversion to 
God that is universally in the general structure of civil politics, 
and the imposing system of false religion, all backed and upheld 
by the legions of the pit, are combined in one vast phalanx of 
opposition against the progress of the gospel. Hence the great- 
est exertions have been made to undermine the venerable fabric 
of truth, and let it fall to ruins. It has undergone the storms 
of persecution, been exposed to the scoffs of the petulant, and 
attacked by the arms of false reasoning. Hence Christians in 
maintaining the truth will be required to contend with opposi- 
tion. It is set down as a matter that is unalterably fixed, that 
they who live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution; 
that is, they who confess with their mouths that Jesus is the 
Lord, and "let their light shine before men:" that is, exhibit 
unto the world in their walk the doctrines of Christ — be active 
in his service, rising up for him against evil doers and standing 
up for him against the workers of iniquity, will have to en- 
counter the frowns and ridicule of the multitude, and have the 
greatest reproach cast upon them. Hence, hold fast the profes- 
sion of your faith without wavering. The allusion is to a per- 
son keeping a fast hold of a thing which another is trying to 
wrest out of his hands. So we should hold fast the faithful 
word of truth, especially when others are trying to draw it from 
us, "striving together for the faith of the gospel." The Chris- 
tian needs not only the labor of an ox that he may be diligent,. 



THE CHARACTER. 



313 



but the valor of a lion that he may stand forth in the defence 
of God's truth when invaded. 

Now it is plain that a timorous man could not stand in oppo- 
sition to such a numerous host of enemies — could not endure the 
scoff and scorn of the wicked, frowns of the persecuting tyrant, 
or the blood of martyrdom. Such a man is a perfect slave to 
the world. The waves of the sea roll whichever way the wind 
bloweth, so does a man of a timorous spirit go with the wind of 
popular favor. He will endeavor to make his sentiments and 
conduct harmonize as near as he can with the sentiments and 
conduct of the multitude. How many have thus been led to 
sacrifice principle upon the altar of public opinion ! They 
change with every company they are in; affirm their denial of 
the very truths which they believe for the sake of escaping the 
frowns of the populace. Numerous indeed are the evils which 
flow from this source. It was this that occasioned Pilate to de- 
liver Jesus into the hands of his crucifiers. He was convinced 
of his innocence and very reluctant to condemn him. He in- 
sisted that he should set him at liberty. 4 'Will ye that I re- 
lease unto you the king of the Jews?" But when the multitude 
spurned at the idea, and the more he insisted on it, raised the 
greater tumult, he saw that it would be hazardous to stand out 
against them, and he delivered him up to be crucified. Many 
of the Pharisees believed on him, but feared to confess him, lest 
they should be put out of the synagogue. When the multitude 
apprehended him, all his disciples forsook him and fled. When 
they saw that the band had gotten him fairly into their power, 
and that he quietly yielded himself to them, their resolution at 
once entirely failed, and they all forsook him and sought safety 
for themselves. When Peter was accused in the chief priest's 
palace for being one of his followers he denied it with bitter 
cursing. The dread of immediate detection with all its imag- 
ined consequences rushed into his mind, shook his courage and 
surprised him into a denial of his blessed Lord. These exam- 
ples serve to show into what great crimes men can be led through 



314 



THEIR ACTION. 



the influence of cowardice. It is owing to this cause that men 
can hold the truth in unrighteousness, blaspheme the name of 
God, and hear his name blasphemed and his gospel villmed; and 
sit as men in whose mouth there is no reproof. 

But the man who wields the weapon of Christian fortitude is 
not restrained through the fear of man that bringeth a snare. 
He steps forward, nothing daunted by the rank, number, or 
power of his combined enemies, saying, £ 'Though a host should 
encamp against me, my heart shall not fear." He is a coward 
who will not stand to his point because numbers are against 
him; for in this war one can chase a thousand, and two put ten 
thousand to flight. It does not follow that numbers are always 
in the right. On the great subject of religion it often is not so. 
Glance at the history of the church and you will find that the 
truth has generally made its way to the throne against the hoot- 
ing rabble, often led on by men whose craft was endangered by 
its progress. And we know in the darkest age of the church, 
when true religion had almost disappeared from the earth, when 
the Bible lay locked up and mouldering in the gloomy cloister, 
where superstition sat brooding; when it was thought that true 
religion consisted in the observance of rites, some the most fool- 
ish that can be imagined, and others the most blasphemous and 
absurd; when salvation was thought attainable by mascerations 
of the body, and pilgrimages to places thought sacred on account 
of absurd legends, that even then her number was almost as the 
sand of the sea. 

Although it is an object much to be desired and prayed for, 
that the true followers of the Savior might be greatly increased, 
that many might come up ' 'to the help of the Lord, to the help 
of the Lord against the mighty," yet our minds should be well 
impressed with the truth, that while few, even very few with 
God's presence with them can do all things — that the labors of 
countless numbers in his absence will prove abortive. There 
never has been, there never will be a single stone reared upon 
God's temple by numbers merely. God has generally done his 



THE CHARACTER. 



315 



work with a few — a few whose hearts he warmed with his love, 
and whose arms he nerved by his power. These are they who 
can strike giant evils in the face, and grasp grayheaded wrong 
by the beard, and dare his vengeance, nor become faint hearted 
at the war cry raised by the storming hosts of sin. Such a no- 
ble few will do more than thousands who will all break ranks 
and run when the first war cry is raised. 

The apostles few in number planted the gospel in many por- 
tions of the world, even when legal persecution was hot against 
them, pursuing them from city to city. Let us dwell a little 
on the apostles as examples of the workings of Christian forti- 
tude — the apostles who we are sure were the true disciples of 
Christ. They were never excelled by any other set of men in 
the exercise of this grace. How many dangers did they fear- 
lessly encounter? How many commands of wicked men did 
they disobey? How many threats did they disregard? They 
would not comply with the injunctions of their hostile foes, fur- 
ther than they felt themselves bound by an imperious sense of 
duty. What duty called them forth to do, they did it speedily, 
independent of the tyrant's frown, or the horrors of persecu- 
tion. 

Take an example in the case of Peter and John who, as they 
spake unto the people, were apprehended by the priests, the 
captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, and put in prison un- 
til the next day. 

But when they could not find anything wherewith they might 
accuse them, they let them go commanding them to speak no 
more in the name of Jesus. But what was their answer? Did 
they tremblingly tell them that they would speak no more in 
his name ? No. They boldly affirmed, 1 ' Whether it be right 
in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, 
judge ye: for we cannot but speak the things which we have 
seen and heard. " What intrepidity ! They were surrounded 
by a host of enemies who were raging against them, and their 
very lives were in their hands, yet they disregadrde them. They 



316 



THEIR ACTION. 



were very willing to let them know that they would not comply 
with their wicked commands, and let them do their utmost, they 
continue to speak in the name of Jesus. 

But let us turn to Paul. It is always pleasing to us to behold 
the magnanimous Paul. When apprehended by divine grace, 
he not only sacrificed his prospects of worldly emolument and 
honor, but also he exposed himself to the scorn and deep resent- 
ment of all those persons from whom he could expect such emol- 
ument and distinction; and those sacrifices he made without any 
symptoms of reluctance or dread. Nay, he declares, k 'I count 
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ 
Jesus my Lord, for w r hom I have suffered the loss of all things." 
And every step of his ministerial career was prosecuted in the 
face of opposition and danger: but whether he was exposed to 
perils by land or by sea — from the treachery of false brethren 
or the malignity of avowed enemies — whether he had to sustain 
the abuse of an outraged mob, or the ignominy of a legal perse- 
cution, or the gloom of incarceration in the solitary dungeon — 
in all he displayed the same cool and invulnerable intrepidity. 
Sometimes we find him addressing a rude and tumultuous rab- 
ble, anon, pleading his cause before kings and governors, at 
whose consciences he occasionally levelled the most pointed ap- 
peals, and again we find him attacking and disputing with the 
polished and conceited philosophers of Athens; and on all these 
occasions he acquitted himself with the most admirable self-pos- 
session and ability. In full view of martyrdom and persecution, 
he could say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my 
course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me 
a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, 
shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them 
also that love his appearing." 

Let us take another example from Paul. After having for a 
considerable length of time acted as the apostle of the Gentiles, 
he was constrained under the power of the Holy Spirit to go to 
Jerusalem, where he knew that he was to encounter great diffi- 



THE CHARACTER. 



317 



culties. On the eve of his departure, he called together the 
elders of his favorite church at Ephesus for the purpose of giv- 
ing them his last farewell. The circumstances were such as 
might have conveyed dejection to the most resolute mind, and 
totally overwhelmed the feeble. A revelation seems to have 
been made to the apostle that he should revisit Ephesus no more, 
nor see any of these elders again upon earth. "And now, be- 
hold, I know that ye shall see my face no more." Ah! 

these were the trying words. "They all wept sore, and fell on 
Paul's neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words 
which he spake, that they should see his face no more." Had 
they entertained the hope of seeing him again, the circumstances 
would not have been so trying. But to hear that they were no 
more to behold the face of so faithful and affectionate a minister, 
so affected them with the mingled passions of love and sorrow, 
that they all w T ept exceedingly, and clung around him in the most 
affectionate manner. But what was his language on that trying 
occasion ? ' 'Behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, 
not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the 
Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying, that bonds and af- 
flictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither 
count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my 
course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the 
Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." "Then, 
my friends, fare ye well. I leave you in sorrow, but we shall 
meet again in that bright world above where all our joys will be 
complete. " How does his heroic spirit blaze forth in this pa- 
thetic speech ? Neither the love which he bears for his brethren 
nor the dangers that awaited him could deter him from his duty. 
Friends might weep, and enemies rage, yet in the path of duty 
he would undauntedly move on. 

And finally, let us not forget those souls of flame that flashed 
their glory through the night, and torched the hilltops of the 
land where hoary despotism sat enthroned, and caused him to 
tread bewildered as he felt the cold and fatal hand of death. 



318 



THEIR ACTION. 



Who they were we need not say; memory shrines their deathless 
names; and their deeds of glory are written high on the front of 
fame. 

Here we behold true magnanimity — the very pef ection of hero- 
ism. Here we have not a mere momentary excitement of feel- 
ings, induced by a love of worldly fame, and strengthened by 
advantageous circumstances, but a habit of mind whose hold was 
on heaven and which no worldly situation could paralyze — no 
prospect of bodily sufferings shake. Here we see the force, not 
of a blind superstitious delusion, but of a mind enlightened from 
above, and endowed with a clear perception of the overwhelm- 
ing 1 importance of eternal realities. 

Between this courage and the courage which is merely natural, 
there is as much difference as between the feeble light of nature 
or the dim taper of philosophy, and the glorious sun of revela- 
tion. And what produces this difference? What forms the 
contrast? What but the principle of faith — faith, which is the 
' 'substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" 
— faith, whose author is the Spirit of grace and gloiy, and whose 
center is the bosom of an incarnate deity ? 

However auxiliary strength of nerve and constitution and ed- 
ucational nurture may be to this grace, and how T far Paul owed 
his courage to^; these causes, we need not inquire, since he him- 
self ascribes it all to the grace of Christ. U I can do all things.' 1 
he says, "through Christ which strengthened me. " And the 
same grace is attainable by all men; for when divine love be- 
comes the ascendant principle of the mind, its energy is so pow- 
erful and prevailing as to inspire the most pusillanimous with 
the greatest intrepidity. Perfect love casteth out fear. By 
this principle Paul overcame — by this principle every Christian 
champion has overcome the world, and triumphed over suffer- 
ings the most poignant in their nature, and protracted in their 
duration. And by this principle, too, the believer is still en- 
abled to brave the billows, and outride the storms of life, and 



THE CHARACTER. 



319 



not only so, but also with equanimity to anticipate the wreck of 
elements and the crash of worlds. 

d The Action of this Band of Men was Zealous. They gave 
expression to their feelings. They cried, "God save the king." 
This is the ardor of true Christianity; and we need not exult 
over the extension of the church, unless we can hear the cry 
coming forth, ' 'God save the king. " But we are compelled to 
yield to the truth of the observation, that commonly in time of 
outward peace and prosperity, the church, "like a river whose 
channel is enlarged, loses much in depth that it gains in breadth." 
The propriety of this similitude is clearly seen in the present 
state of the church. We have long enjoyed the protection and 
countenance of civil authority; and the number of professors is, 
indeed, greatly enlarged. But though the forms of godliness 
are practiced by many, there is too just cause to complain that 
the general power of it is felt by few. Where are the profes- 
sors who make religion their business; and apply themselves to 
it as the "one thing needful ?" How few exemplify the Script- 
ure representation of religion, "pressing towards the mark of 
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus ?" Alas, 
the far greater number, if they are going forward at all, it is 
with such slow and staggering pace, as can neither edify their 
brethren, nor yield any real advantage to themselves. Their 
light, if they reflect any light at all, is like the dim twinkling 
of a candle sunk and expiring in the socket. 

Let me then entreat your earnest attention while I endeavor 
to illustrate this gracious temper. If the bare letter of Chris- 
tianity would admit you into heavenly glory — if the cold bar- 
ren profession of religion, or the practice of some easy and com- 
mon duties would render you meet for the ' 'inheritance of the 
saints in light" — if God was worthy of no more, or demanded 
no more than the world and the flesh can spare, I should be in- 
discreet in attempting to disturb; but if these things be other- 
wise, if to call Christ, "Lord, Lord," shall profit us nothing, 
unless we do the things he saith, then I should be unfaithful to 



THEIR ACTION. 



God. cruel to your souls, if I did not summon you to your duty, 
and vehemently urge upon you to send forth the cry. "God 
save the king." 

And we must carefully mark the spirit of this cry. It is not 
natural for men to cry religiously. Even" man is eaten up 
with one kind of zeal or another. The zeal of the world eats 
up many. They bereave their souls of all good for a little 
earth. They work in the tires, they load themselves with thick 
clay. The zeal of the flesh consumes many. They are mad 
upon carnal delights, and let go all considerations that they 
may fulfil their lusts. But unless a man have the Spirit of 
God he cannot be a true Christian. Christian zeal is a flaine 
that can only lie kindled by the Holy Spirit. 

It is a very great rlame. The word zeal, comes from a word 
which signifies to ho a. Hence it is an intense and impassioned 
ardor of mind, the opposite of coldness and apathy. It is the 
intense employment of means to accomplish an end. It is not 
zeal if it is not in some good measure: for zeal is a great fire, 
a vehement rlame: not only love, but vehement love. It must 
needs be great, for love is strong as death, and jealousy is cruel 
as the grave. Many waters cannot quench love. Mark, our 
zeal must lie so warm that man}" floods cannot quench it. that 
nothing can bribe it. Surely, the best things deserve the best 
affections, therefore, whatever we do in religion for God. we 
must do with all our might. Some may call this enthusiasm. 
But the sacred oracles afford no countenance to the supposition 
that the feelings are to be condemned as visionary and enthu- 
siastic merely on account of their intensity and devotion, pro- 
vided they be of the right kind, and spring frorn legitimate 
sources — they never teach us to -uppose that they can be car- 
ried too far. If David was received with the warmest hearts 
and the Loudest plaudits of the daughters of Israel after he had 
slain the Philistine, who had defied the armies of the living 
God. shall we not cry. u Hosannah to the Son of David." who 



THE CHARACTER. 



321 



has triumphed over the principalities and powers which have 
carried their warfare to the very gate of heaven. 

To check ardor of spirits in reference to religious objects, is 
in truth to lessen our attachment to such noble and valuable 
objects. To see this truth more clearly, let us touch at a few 
of the leading principles of religion and their effects. Take the 
first principle of religion, faith, and ask whether there can be 
any halting between positive unbelief and the strongest possible 
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

On different occasions we find our Lord expressly reproving 
a weak faith. "O thou of little faith," he says to Peter. He 
even refused, when earnestly solicited, to cure a child, until the 
afflicted parent had expressed his confidence that he was able to 
peform the cure. The earnest prayer of our Lord's disciples 
was, "Lord, increase our faith." Paul holds forth to the be- 
believing Hebrews, as an example for their imitation, the 
strongest faith that could animate the human breast. Our Lord 
in a figure of speech recommends that faith that could remove 
mountains. The apostle James speaks of that faith that was 
made perfect by works. Who then can attempt to confine that 
faith, which is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence 
of things not seen," looking unto Jesus, glorying in the cross, 
and making mention of his righteousness 1 An excess of faith 
is impossible. 

The same may be said of the second principle of religion, 
supreme love to God and his Son, which is the genuine result 
of faith. If there is any allowable medium between our nat- 
ural enmity of heart, and love to God and his beloved Son, we 
are unable to understand what our Savior could possibly mean 
when he directly speaks this first — this great commandment, 
6 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. " We 
should be equally at a loss to understand the correspondent pre- 
cept delivered by Moses, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
strength. " On any other principle than that for which I am 

21 



322 



THEIR ACTION. 



now contending. David was a mere enthusiast when his soul was 
athirst tor God. '-as the heart panteth after the water brooks.'* 
Paul must have been beside himself, when he "counted all 
things but loss that he might win Christ. " I am warranted 
then in saying, that at the very moment we begin to curb that 
love which is unquestionably due to God our Savior, we threaten 
its destruction: like certain trees which are said not to bear the 
pruning knife, but begin to wither and die. as soon as any of 
their branches are cut. This sacred quality exists only so long 
as it is not restrained. 

A medium degree of ardor is equally inadmissible in those 
spiritual exercises which are the result- of faith and love; as 
Scripture mentation, prayer and praise, and the constant scru- 
tiny of our most secret thoughts. True, our God does not 
require of us to be incessantly occupied in these sacred exer- 
cises, for the mind must of necessity be much engaged in the 
transaction of worldly business: but still it is a duty to culti- 
vate the spirit of such exercises to the highest possible degree; 
for we are expressly taught to seek the Lord our God "with 
all our heart.** to worship him -*in the beauty of holiness." to 
••pray without ceasing." To prove that a compliance with such 
precepts is perfectly compatible with the discharge of all our 
temporal duties, and with the soundness of our mental faculties. 
I would refer to the case of Daniel, in whom as prime minister 
to Darius his very enemies could hud no fault: but who rather 
than abandon the blessing of communion with his Maker chose 
to be cast into the den of lions. 

Christian holiness, which emanates from Christian faith and 
love, cannot be legitimately subjected to any limitations of its 
intensity. Many men seek a refuge for their inrirmities. but 
they ought to know that they entirely misapply the term, if 
they make it include allowed neglect, or transgression of the 
divine law: for the believer in Christ is commanded to live to 
him who died for us. and rose again — to be • -perfect." as his 
heavenly Father, and be holy, as his Lord and Master. And 



THE CHARACTER. 



323 



how fearful are the denunciations of the divine Master against 
those who presume to violate the least of his commandments ! 
How express are his injunctions by the mouth of his apostles ! 
"Be not conformed to this world:" "Love not the world." 
Come out from among them, be ye separate, and touch not the 
unclean thing. Had Christ allowed any medium in our obedi- 
ence to him or his laws, and in the consecration of our talents, 
our opportunities, our entire life to his glory, neither he nor 
his apostles would have employed such language. 

I am warranted then in saying that we must not attempt to 
limit our warmth in religion. That the objects which interest 
the heart in religion are infinitely more valuable, durable, and 
important than all others, none will be disposed to dispute; and 
why should it be deemed irrational to be affected by them, in a 
degree somewhat suitable to their greatness % But do you say, 
"We have warmth for religion, but then there is so much op- 
position to contend with in maintaining it V If your warmth 
for religion is cooled by the opposition you meet with in main- 
taining it, you need not say that you have any real warmth for 
it. You might with as much reason say, "See here is fire, but 
there is so much wood lying around." Wood is the very thing 
you want to make a fire. The more wood you pile on where 
there is fire, it will burn the more. Opposition is the fuel of 
zeal. If your zeal is not a zeal that grows warm by opposition, 
it will soon be quenched. It could not be known that Chris- 1 
tians had any zeal for their cause, if they did not meet with 
opposition. But where there is true moral courage within, 
outward opposition will make it blaze forth. The sense of the 
value and importance of their cause will be more than a match 
for all the hostility that is raised against it. The very attempt 
to prevent an individual of this temperament from gaining an 
object on which his soul is set, by drawing his attention anew 
to the subject, tends to occasion a favorable reaction, and puts 
the mind in an attitude of defence. David danced before the 
Lord with all his might, and when he was reproached for de- 



324 



THEIR ACTION. 



grading himself in the eyes of his people, for indulging himself 
in such transports, he replied, "I will yet be more vile." Nehe- 
miah's courage flamed the more intensely, the more it was op- 
posed. "Should such a man as I flee?" Should I betray the 
cause of God ? When a prince in Israel wrought folly in the 
face of a weeping congregation, and the judges neglected to do 
their duty, being intimidated by the frown of power, Phineas 
rose from his seat, grasped a javelin in his hand, and in the 
purest zeal for Jehovah exercised judgment upon the daring 
wretches. See his stern countenance, his stretched out arm, 
and his firm step in the cause of God. When the altars of Je- 
hovah were thrown down, his covenant broken, and his proph- 
ets slain, then Elijah in his zeal for the Lord of Hosts stood 
almost single handed and alone to a faithful profession; and his 
zeal was inflamed at everything which dishonored his God. It 
is minds of an inferior class only which yield to opposition, 
while those of a proper class only are strengthened and improved 
by it; just as the fire grows more violent the more fuel you put 
upon it; or, to change the figure, as the tempest which tears up 
the tender sapling only causes the oak on the mountain brow to 
strike deeper its roots, and take a firmer hold on the soil, or, as 
the blast which extinguishes the taper, will only increase the in- 
tensity of a powerful fire. By giving utterance to feelings of 
determination, we not only let the enemy know on what resist- 
ance he may calculate, but we augment the decision of our orig- 
inal purpose; as by yielding in however slight a degree, or for 
however brief a period, we not only encourage the foe to ad- 
vance, but we proportionably diminish our own power of resist- 
ance. All this serves to show how essential to the people of 
God is that unwavering disposition that is not to be shaken by 
the rudest assaults — that noble intrepidity of soul, the offspring 
of an enlightened mind, which is not to be quelled by the most 
formidable onset. 

(1) Let it be observed that the Object of Zeal must be some- 
thing Good, something that is according to the divine law. ' 'It 



THE CHARACTER. 



325 



is good," says the apostle, u to be zealously affected always in 
a good thing." Then it is either good or bad, as the objects 
about which it is conversant are so. Then there must be a dis 
tinct knowledge of the nature of the cause we take up, and a 
knowledge of the nature of the evil to be removed, and the good 
to be established, else we may be working for the devil, when 
we think we are acting for God. There is an opinion very com 
mon that if we are only earnest, warm, and sincere in our ob 
ject, then all is right. But we declare that it matters not what 
the degree of earnestness is, if the object is wrong, then all is 
wrong. If the former sentiment is correct, why then let Saul 
in his zeal for the Israelites imbrue his hands in the blood of the 
Gibeonites; let another of that name in his zeal for the tradition 
of the fathers waste and persecute the church; let bloody perse- 
cutors consign over to the flames pretended heretics, blow up 
parliaments, massacre whole nations of men, and make the 
streets of populous cities swim with human gore, all this in do- 
ing God service. This, indeed, is a zeal as the apostle says, 
"They have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." 
There is a heat in the fire, but it lacks light, and therefore it is 
not the fire of the altar, but of the common hearth. Zeal may 
be compared to the bush that burned, it was sharp and prickly, 
but in the midst of light. As the legal priests burned incense 
and lighted the lamps together, so this holy flame ought never 
to be kindled, but when the lamp of knowledge is also lighted. 

(2) Let it be observed that True Zeal embraces in it All 
Good, all that is contained in God's law. The will is never true 
to God unless it is swallowed up in his will, implicitly likes or 
dislikes, chooses or refuses, what God hath approved or disap- 
proved by his holy precepts and prohibitions. u Then shall I 
not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy command- 
ments. " When I find myself equally determined to obey every 
divine precept; not those merely which may be observed with 
convenience, ease, and profit in my worldly interests, but those 
which demand the sacrifice of all these, when God can not oth- 



326 



THEIR ACTION. 



erwise be obeyed. When this is not the case zeal cannot be 
sincere. Is a man honest to his friend when he betrays him in 
any business committed to his trust, though he should be faith- 
ful in many others ? Is a servant true to his master when he 
reserves cases wherein he resolves not to consult his honor or 
interest? No more can a man be true to God who sets up any 
one lust, or inclination, or thought against what he knows to be 
the divine will or pleasure. By so doing he is just as declared 
a rebel to God as if he shook off obedience to him in everything. 
"For whoever shall offend in one point, he is guilty of all." 
The distinction of truth into fundamentals and circumstantials 
is absurd, and was never made for the honor of truth, but to 
serve the views of a party, and to accommodate truth to the 
fluctuating tastes of the world. "Teaching them," says Christ, 
"to observe" — to observe what? — the fundamentals and bury 
the circumstantials, and fritter away the most useless parts to 
please men ? No, but to ' 'observe all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you." 

(3) True Zeal is Due in its Proportions. It has respect to 
all God's commandments, and that in proportion to their impor- 
tance; for though all divine precepts are important, because re- 
vealed by God and enjoined by his authority, some are of greater 
importance than others. As a natural consequence of grace, the 
believer will be led to extend his attention in a particular degree 
to all the various things enjoined by God. The judgment, there- 
fore, must be kept in perpetual activity, not only in order to as- 
certain the cause to be good, but also to determine the degree of 
its importance in any given case, that we may not blindly assign 
an undue value to an inferior good. For as the gospel assigns 
very different degrees of importance to allowed principles and 
practices, it concerns us to give to each doctrine of true religion 
its proper place in the enunciation of our creed, and to let each 
have its proper measure of practical attention without overlook- 
ing or undervaluing any other. For want of this discrimination, 
we may think we are storming a battery, when we are only 



THE CHARACTER. 



327 



chasing a mouse. The Pharisees of old were rigorous in the 
payment of the most inconsiderable tithes, and for this they 
were not censured; but seeing this duty was not only put in 
competition with, but preferred before the most important du- 
ties, even judgment, mercy, and faith, the flagrant hypocrisy 
was pointedly censured by meekness itself. 

(4) Sound Zeal is Prudent in its Measures. It is the insep- 
arable companion of discretion, which leads it in the way, and 
points out to it those things that would be detrimental to its own 
success. Without discretion, therefore, it will not act, knowing 
well that its warmest efforts will neither be effectual nor lasting, 
without those provisions which discretion alone can make. No 
quality is ever possessed in perfection, where its opposite is 
wanting. Zeal is not Christian fervor but animal heat, if it is 
not associated with prudence. Not only the cause in which 
zeal is exerted must be good, but also the principle itself must 
be under due regulations, or, like the rapidity of a traveller who 
gets into a wrong road, it will carry him so much the further 
out of his way, or, if he be in the right road, it will through 
inattention cany him involuntarily beyond his destined point. 
That degree of motion is equally misleading which detains us 
short of our end, or which pushes us beyond it. 

It is not always our duty to act against an evil: we must ob- 
serve the seasonable circumstances, in discovering ourselves for 
God. The direction given to David was, "When thou hearest 
the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, then thou 
shalt bestir thyself." This is what Christ means when he says, 
"Be ye wise as serpents." Through inattention to this direc- 
tion, we will unprofitably sacrifice ourselves, and hinder the 
good we would promote. It was a grievous thing to Paul, and 
pressed upon his spirit, to see all Ephesus given to idolatry, and 
mightily affected him with the worship of Diana, yet he preached 
the gospel for two years at Ephesus without saying anything 
against Diana, as was testified by the town clerk. History in- 
forms us of Andes, a Persian bishop, who under a misguided 



328 



THEIR ACTION. 



zeal got some Christians together to destroy the temple of fire 
which the Persians worshipped. The consequence of this was, 
that Yarens the emperor, who was formerly favorable to the 
Christians, when he saw they affected power and would destroy 
the worship of the country, was filled with cruel persecution, 
and skinned the backs of some of the Christians and the faces of 
others, drew splinters through their flesh, and it conduced to 
the suppression of the Christian religion, therefore, this wild 
fire, when it runs abroad without discretion, does a world of 
harm to the church of God. 

(5) Zeal is Affectionate in its Spirit. It is a great flame, as 
we have said; but it is not a flame of wrath to hate, of anger to 
curse, or of presumption to anathematize; but of heaven to warm 
and to bless. It is not like a comet which shakes desolation 
from its tail and alarms the world, but like the sun which irra- 
diates, warms, and cheers the universe. It is always in com- 
pany with the chief of the graces, "Charity," and therefore, en- 
vieth not, thinketh no evil. It dwells not in the dark and ter- 
rific Mount of Sinai, but on the bright, serene, and peaceful 
Mount of Zion. It does not love the tempest and the thunder- 
ing and the earthquake, but the calm serenity of the mountains 
Tabor and Olivet. It is not the furious demon from beneath, 
but the bright celestial angel from above. It has eagle's eyes 
and ears, and soars aloft, but it has also the nature and gentle- 
ness of the dove. It has the strength of the ox and the bold- 
ness of the lion, but it has also the nature of a lamb and the face 
of a man. It does not hate the person of sinners, but their sins. 
It ascends and brings a live coal from off the celestial altar, and 
with it labors to provoke others to love and to good works. It 
fights not by bitter invectives and noisy acclamations, but by 
silent tears and secret prayers. This is agreeable to the pattern 
set by Christ. He was angry with the sins of men, but in his 
reproofs there was more of compassion than passion. He wept 
over Jerusalem that stood in a state of enmity to him. And 
when he was angry at the unbelief of his countrymen, at the 



THE CHARACTER. 



329 



same time, he was grieved with the hardness of their hearts. 
Samuel mourned for Saul when he saw him no more. When 
the apostle declaimed against false teachers, he did it with tears. 
He who indulges himself in violent anger, or unhallowed bitter- 
ness, or acrimonious railing in reprehending the faults of others 
might, did his power keep pace with his inclination, have 
recourse to other weapons. This is a zealotical spirit that would 
call for fire from heaven, but is not the zeal of the gospel. 

(6) Finally I observe that Zeal is Enduring in its Influence. 
It is not a thing that appears only on special occasions, like the 
bursting forth of a flaming meteor attracting general attention, 
and then passing away. The fire on the altar must not go out; 
we cannot do without it for a moment. ' 'It is good, " says the 
apostle, "to be always zealously affected in a good thing." 
That zeal which is occasional is merely spasmodic, a disease, 
not health. Some are active for God in prosperity, but when 
trouble comes, they give up all to opposition. Here is one un- 
der affliction who seems to warm up under a sense of religion, 
but when the affliction is removed, the flame is smothered in the 
delights of the flesh. Some in their youth have a good flame, 
and when the first flash is spent, they grow inordinate. ' 'Ye 
did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the 
truth?" David was as zealous when the crown was on his head 
as when God humbled him and brought him low. True zeal 
like a stream flowing from a perpetual spring, though it may 
be increased by a shower, and decreased by a drought, yet is 
continually flowing on. ' 'The water that I shall give him shall 
be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. " 
We cannot assert of persons possessed of corrupt natures, that 
they will never become languid. By several conspiring circum- 
stances the Christian's zeal may become depressed, but it can 
never be extinguished. In all cases of failure it shall quickly 
recover the ground, and with new resolutions and more vigor- 
ous endeavors proceed on in the path of obedience. Consider 
him altogether, and you will find that the general current of his 



330 



THEIR ACTION. 



behavior bears witness to his integrity. Though he may occa- 
sionally fail under some peculiar circumstances, yet like a fixed 
star, which though it rises and sets, and is often obscured by 
clouds, is yet steadfast in its orbit; and may truly be said to 
shine with a constant brightness. 

e The Action of this Band of Men was Pleasurable. Their 
outward expression is indicative of their inward feelings. Un- 
doubtedly they felt a pleasure in carrying out the purpose of 
God in reference to Saul. All true pleasure springs from re- 
ligion, for ' 'her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths 
are peace." One would undoubtedly suppose that this an- 
nouncement would arouse the attention of all. It speaks of an 
object which must be interesting to all, because all are search- 
ing after it with intense earnestness. There is a common desire 
of all men to be happy, and a common dread of misery. Of 
this truth we are all conscious; we all feel that it is as natural 
for us to desire happiness, as it is for us to breathe. It is na- 
ture's first and last wish; and forms not only one of the earliest, 
but also one of the most powerful principles of our nature. It 
is, however, a melancholy fact that happiness, though so ear- 
nestly desired and so universally felt, is but very partially en- 
joyed. When we recollect the long years of fruitless toil and 
labor that many of our race have spent in search of happiness, 
we need not be surprised if they have come to the conclusion 
that its attainment is impossible, that all they have read and 
heard concerning it is deceptive and unreal, and that in point of 
fact there is no such thing to be attained and enjoyed by man 
in this desert world. What then is to be done ? Are we to sit 
down in despondency, and abandon ourselves to despair; and 
sitting side by side to heave sigh for sigh — to shed tear for tear, 
and looking upon one another through the medium of these sighs 
and tears, say, Alas ! there is no happiness. Before coming to 
this conclusion let us inquire what happiness is. It is enjoy- 
ment; it is satisfaction; it is delight. The different beings which 
inhabit our globe are obliged by their own nature to seek for 



THE CHARACTER. 



331 



enjoyment, to seek for bliss according to their nature; and they 
are happy just in proportion as they are in their proper element, 
and as they possess and enjoy what may be called their chief 
good; they have an enjoyment according to their nature and ca- 
pacity. This will aid us in ascertaining how man is to become 
happy. Surely he cannot become happy until he lives in his 
proper element— cannot be happy till he finds and enjoys the 
chief good. And need I tell you where this is, and what it is 1 
Is not he who is the Father of the human spirit, the center and 
rest of the soul of man? Did he not form our spirits for him- 
self ? And is it not there alone that we find our proper element 
— the element of the soul for which it was originally formed? 
And is it not here in the enjoyment of God that we find our 
chief good ? There, and there alone, we find a portion suited 
to our nature, equal to our capacities, commensurate with all 
our wishes, and lasting as our being. Is it not so ? Need we 
be surprised then at the disappointment of the many who seek 
for happiness anywhere and everywhere except where alone they 
can find it ? They seek for happiness in vanity, in folly, in sin. 
When abandoning all these earthly cisterns, man betakes him- 
self to God in Christ as his only refuge, and seeks to be ac- 
cepted of God in Christ, and the Lord becomes his God, then 
he finds the happiness that is sought in vain elsewhere: then he 
comes to the fountain of living waters — then he drinks and is 
satisfied — then he can subscribe to the language of the Spirit, 
"Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that 
people whose God is the Lord." 

What then is the happiness of c 'that people whose God is the 
Lord?'' Now that is our God to whom we are principally de- 
voted; that is our God who has the first place in our thoughts, and 
who has the highest place in our affections: that is our God to 
whom we bow down, to whom we continually pay our devo- 
tions, whatever it may be, it may be some idol, it matters not 
whether it be in the shape of a gold dollar or a golden calf, it is 
idolatry. Now to have Jehovah as our God is to have our 



332 



THEIR ACTION. 



thoughts first of all occupied with him — to have our affections 
supremely fixed upon him — to be reconciled to him — to be ac- 
cepted of him through Jesus Christ — to praise him, and to love 
him, and to be devoted to him. 

These are the happy persons. They are happy in contemplat- 
ing the divine character. To unrenewed minds this observation 
will be altogether unintelligible, because their sight of God is 
productive of pain and fear; but the same prospect which pains 
the unholy, through a change in their hearts, becomes the pleas- 
ure of the pious. There is always happiness in beholding and 
admiring a beloved object; and the degree of happiness will be 
in proportion to the capacity of the beholder, and the excellency 
of the object beheld. When a perfectly holy mind looks upon 
infinite excellency, the happiness is the greatest that can be. 
Hence the angels of heaven and the spirits of just men made 
perfect are completely blessed in seeing and praising God. They 
are free from sin, their minds are holy, they behold a God of 
infinite glory, and their heaven is begun — a heaven of light and 
peace, to increase forever. A true sight of the glory of God is 
the beginning of happiness in the saints on earth; and the degree 
of their bliss will be in proportion to their sanctifieation and 
their sight of God. When by spiritual enlightening the glory 
of the Lord is carried down to every compartment of the inner 
man, they find a felicity new in degree and kind — the felicity of 
beholding, of seeing him and admiring his perfections. The 
same character which was once seen with fear is now contem- 
plated with delight; and every divine perfection in every mode 
of display, through all the works of nature and of grace, gives 
a transporting pleasure to the soul. 

Let it be observed that there is all the difference in the world 
between mere intellectual and spiritual light — between that 
knowledge that may be obtained by the unaided efforts of the 
human mind and that which is to be acquired by the teaching 
of the Spirit of God. The one is as different from the other as 
the mere picture of a country, as it is painted on a map, is from 



THE CHARACTER. 



333 



the country itself, where with all its hills, and dales, and rivers, 
it spreads itself before our view. A man who has not the power 
of tasting and hearing may be told that honey is sweet, and mu- 
sic is harmonious, but he can have no conception of the sweet- 
ness of the one, or the melody of the other. Sin is blinding in 
its nature, and while it reigns in the heart, it darkens the heart, 
it darkens the understanding to the glory of God, so that there 
appears nothing in him to be desired: hence, the irreligious do 
not conceive anything either of the nature or degree of that 
blessedness which is enjoyed by the saints of God when they 
live in near communion with him. They hear this blessedness 
mentioned; they sometimes observe Christians filled with joy in 
beholding together the glorious God; but being blind themselves, 
and having never experienced this happiness, they think it to be 
a delusion and altogether the effect of enthusiastic zeal. They 
will not be convinced although often told of its reality. Hence 
they appear to fall into a state of deep inconsideration; and to 
be so wholly swallowed up in worldliness and sensuality as to 
have no impression whatever of the glory of the infinite God. 

Again, true believers have the happiness of approving the di- 
vine law and government. To exist, where the principles of 
government are opposed, and where the law is disliked, must 
be an unhappy state of mind. This unhappiness will forever 
come on those who are sinful in temper and practice. As the 
character of the lawgiver is opposed, so his precepts and admin- 
istration will be a constant wound to the heart. There cannot 
be a more undesirable state of existence, than where the law- 
giver, law and government are contradictory to the heart. Here 
originates that necessity of pain which is to the unholy. They 
are opposed to the law, to the government of God, and to the 
gospel of Jesus according to which men shall be judged; and 
therefore they must be unhappy. On these natural principles 
stands the necessity of a place of punishment to the unholy. 
Wherever they exist, to such minds must be a state of misery; 
and the state of their hearts constitutes a condition of woe. 



334 



THEIR ACTION. 



These are grounds of terror inwrought with the principles of 
nature itself, which ought to be freely told to the disobedient 
and unholy. But to the godly and believing all is contrary, all 
is full of hope, by the promises of the gospel — all is full of 
glory by their enjoyment of God — all is full of grace by their 
acquiescence in the law and government of God under whicli 
they shall forever exist. They view the commandment as holy 
and just and good; and if they had a power given them, they 
would not reverse any present law which they are now bound 
to obey, nor change a single event in the divine government. 
In their view all is right, and therefore all is happy — all is 
heaven both within and around them, and will be so forever. 
Thus while everything in religion is painful to the unholy, 
everything is delightful to those who are the subjects of God's 
sanctifying grace. The unholy, being one mass of moral de- 
pravity, can have no pleasure in God, his law, his government; 
and such duties as they are required to perform. It gives them 
sensible disgust, and they feel the rage of opposition even to 
consider what religion is. Hence it is that they think religious 
people must be gloomy and unhappy. It makes them feel 
gloomy to think of their duty, and of parting with the pleasures 
of sin; and still more unhappy to consider the punishment which 
is prepared for all those who continue in unholiness. And as 
they have no conception of the pleasures of religion, and as they 
see pious people refraining from the things which appear to them 
to be delightful, they suppose, of course, that such must be un- 
happy in all their seriousness, in all their duties, and in all the 
restraints which they put upon themselves with respect to sinful 
pleasures. It is indeed with an ill grace that the man of the 
world, who is devoted to folly and vanity, objects to religion 
because of its restraints. Does he know what kind of a life a 
carnal life is? — a life ten thousand times more severe than a spir- 
itual life. What mean all those sacrifices of time, and sacri- 
fices of property, and sacrifices of health he is making in the 
way of the God he serves ? What mean all these days of hurry 



THE CHARACTER. 



335 



and confusion ? Oh ! and what mean all these sleepless nights 
of folly and dissipation ? But admit that religion does impose 
restraints upon men; from what does it restrain them? From 
sin. Its restraints are all salutary. It forbids nothing, but 
what if pursued would be a curse to the man, and not a bless- 
ing. It forbids sin under all its forms and modifications; and is 
this painful to a righteous man ? Is he not formed anew, and 
fitted for the service to which he is called I To rescue men from 
external slavery, and yet leave their slavish habits and propen- 
sities in full force, would not greatly ameliorate their condition, 
nor render them proper subjects of a free state. The Lord does 
more for those whose God he is. Hear him tell what he does. 
' 'Behold, I make all things new." Through his creative energy, 
new light shines into the understanding, and new affections are 
kindled in the heart — new principles are implanted in the mind, 
and new hopes gladden the soul — new desires influence the will, 
and new actions characterize the life — old things pass away, and 
all things become new. Can the people of God then be unhappy 
in the discharge of their duty ? They read the Scriptures, does 
that make them unhappy k O how I love thy law." It is 
sweeter to me than honey and the honeycomb. Is that the way 
to make a man unhappy when he tastes the honey dropping 
from the comb? Does prayer make the good man unhappy? 
Oh ! prayer opens heaven, and lets the streams of mercy down. 
Does the worship of God in his family make him unhappy ? The 
God of love smiles upon him; and the fire from above comes 
down to kindle the sacrifice. Does his reverence for the Sab- 
bath make him unhappy ? He calls the Sabbath ' 'a delight, the 
holy of the Lord, honorable." Do the services of the sanctuary 
make him unhappy ? u Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy 
house; and the place where thine honor dwelleth." We do not 
say that believers never feel any reluctance in the discharge of 
their duties. Those who have only very low degrees of grace 
may sensibly feel pain in denying themselves and their remain- 
ing sinful appetites. All Christians have not the same degrees 



336 



THEIR ACTION. 



of holiness. Unto some God is pleased in his sovereignty to 
give a much greater degree of sanctification than to others; and 
those who have the least degree of holiness perceive more sensi- 
bly the pain in relinquishing themselves and the world and its 
pleasures. Their appetites and passions are often troublesome. 
They sensibly feel a warfare of alternating desire for God, and 
the world. The painful sensations of denying themselves do 
therefore arise from the remains of sin which is in the heart; and 
strictly speaking, in the self-renunciation there is in true piety, 
there is nothing painful. So that all Christians, even those who 
are of the lowest attainments, can say, "Happy is that people, 
whose God is the Lord." 

True believers have the happiness of an approving conscience. 
Misery and guilt are linked together in one unbroken chain; and 
no man can be the voluntary slave of sin without in a propor- 
tionate degree being the victim of wretchedness. To prove this 
I need not lay before you the many and deep woes which pre- 
vail in this lower world. I need not lead you to the haunts 
where the victims of want retire to die. I need not point you 
to the plague, infecting the air with poison, nor need I lead you 
into the battle field and bid you look on glittering swords, and 
pointed bayonets, and listen to the roar of bursting bombshells 
staining the earth with human gore. I will take you where 
some of you may be very reluctant to go — into the interior of 
an unpardoned sinner's heart, and there you will find misery, 
real misery, deep misery, misery deeper than all the horrors of 
the battle field. 

It is impossible for a mind to be happy which is at war with 
itself. Where there is a direct disagreement between the exist- 
ing powers of an intelligent mind, there must be misery. The 
counsels and government of infinite wisdom are so perfect, it 
will be clear to the most unholy minds that they cannot in equity 
be changed; hence will come a contention between his reason 
and his conscience. The conflict would be a fountain of evil 
springing up unto everlasting misery — a misery that is caused, 



THE CHARACTER. 



337 



formed, and felt within the mind itself. Conscience, indeed, 
sometimes appears to slumber, and the individual may even im- 
agine that it is dead. But it is active all the while, and minute 
attention notices every action of his life, chronicles every thought, 
and waits only the favorable moment to read the black catalogue 
aloud to the confusion of the sinner and the astonishment of the 
world. Awakened by some unexpected incident in the history 
of his life, his conscience is like rousing a hungry lion from his 
lair: no power can resist its. force, no attempts can mitigate its 
rage. Listen now to a truth which revelation asserts — a truth 
which reason intimates, and experience awfully demonstrates, 
ik There is no peace unto the wicked/ 1 With them everything 
is out of the way, all is in a state of moral derangement, disor- 
der, and chaos. The prophet sends you to the ocean when the 
raging billows dash against the vessel, and says, There is a pict- 
ure of the wicked; they are like the troubled sea, — not the sea 
when it is calm and serene and placid, but the ocean when tem- 
pest tossed, when one angry wave succeeds another. This is 
the emblem of the wicked, all agitation, trepidation, commo- 
tion, and disorder. They have not only the perception of what 
is really the bane of happiness, sin, guilt, depravity, but they 
have a painful feeling, too, so that while they see their sin, they 
feel its curse — what an evil and bitter thing to sin against the 
Lord ! The arrow of truth thus penetrates the heart and con- 
science of the aw r akened sinner, and he feels the deep smart, 
writhes under an agonized conscience, and asks, * - Where shall 
I find repose C 

There are some evils which may be escaped by going into 
company; there are others which may be evaded by going into 
solitude: but the guilty wretch passes into company and his 
guilty conscience dashes the untasted cup of pleasure from his 
trembling lips: he goes into solitude, and as a spirit it passes be- 
fore him and the hair of his flesh stands up. O man ! whoever 
thou art, whose God is not the Lord, whose conscience is unap- 
peased by the blood of sprinkling, peace of mind thou canst not 



338 



THEIR ACTION. 



enjoy. Philosophy will not avail, skepticism will not, pleasure 
will not. Miserable comforters are they all : a guilty conscience 
like the barbed arrow in the panting sides of the wounded deer, 
adheres to you wherever you go; and every attempt to eradicate 
the fatal shaft only lacerates the wound the more. Do you ask 
me with palpitating heart, lt How shall I escape the wrath to 
come ?" I am warranted to offer you God in Christ, and assure 
you, that they are a happy people who have taken God as their 
God in Christ. The very atonement, that satisfied the claims 
of justice, will satisfy the claims of conscience — the very 
blood, that expiated the guilt of sin, will allay the throbbings 
of an anxious mind. Here is the balm, the vital all-healing 
balm, that alone can reach the emergency of your case. Every- 
thing else will but mock the misery it proposes to alleviate, and 
deepen the wound it proposes to heal. Cast your soul upon the 
sacrifice of Calvary, and that cloud that gathered blackness over 
you is dispersed, and your heaven-born soul drinks in the radi- 
ance of the Sun of righteousness. Being justified by faith we 
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, I will 
not send you to the raging ocean to see an emblem of this peace; 
but rather lead you on some clear, calm summer evening to the 
shore of some transparent lake, whose placid bosom reflects all 
the loveliness of surrounding nature. This is the sweet and de- 
lightful emblem of the people whose God is the Lord. 

But then, come not near, ye sensual and profane. These are 
delights to which you are strangers: this is a hoi} 7 and divine 
peace which dwells not in your unhallowed breasts: it is sacred to 
the people whose God is the Lord. What is it ? It is the calm 
sunshine of believers' souls. What is it ? It is an emanation 
from Paradise beaming forth upon believers. What is it ? It 
is the very element of heaven realized on earth; for heaven is 
happiness. What is it ? It is the transporting delight of an- 
gels; for the happiness of angels is the happiness of love; and 
what can Gabriel do more than love God and be happy. What 
is it ? It is a beam of the eternal being. What is it ? It is the 



THE CHARACTER. 339 

very nature of God realized to the soul of man; for u God is 
love; and he that dwelleth in love" — mark you, that is his ele- 
ment, that is his habitation, that is his atmosphere — tk he that 
dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." Happy 
are the people who are in such a case as this ! * 

But I may not pass from this point without noticing the hap- 
piness which a true Christian enjoys in active exertions for the 
good of others. I say, the true Christian; for a man to enjoy 
the pleasures of religion, it is of primary importance that he be 
a Christian. And not less important, in forming the character 
of the true Christian, is the department of labor which respects 
the good of others. The spirit of Christianity is not evinced 
nor are its joys experienced without a faithful occupation of qur 
talents; and a conformity by self-denying labors to him, who 
kl went about doing good." Man is made for action, and with- 
out the regular prosecution of some laudable object to employ 
his mind and enliven his powers, he could have no enjoyment. 
When the mind is suffered to remain inactive, all its powers 
decay. He who proposes to obtain rest by leaving the active 
scenes of life, and retiring to the regions of profound repose, 
will find, instead of his fancied elysium, a dreary and comfort- 
less waste. While the active and diligent both enliven and 
enjoy society, the indolent are not only a burden to themselves, 
but also a burden to all those whom they oppress with their 
company. They are strangers to the enjoyments which result 
from those schemes, which awaken curiosity and excite fond 
anticipations among the active members of society. Here then 
is a circumstance which should not be overlooked by the Chris- 
tian. To serve God and do good is the very element of per- 
sonal happiness. The Christian who sets about a system of 
untiring effort for the salvation of others, opens a source of 
enjoyment, rising higher and higher in his own heart, and it 
never can be fully realized till the scenes of the present world 
are viewed in eternity. The gospel of Jesus Christ in con- 
nection with a dying world presents a broad and peculiar field 



340 THEIR ACTION. 

for the exercise of benevolence, and no one can enter this field 
without his reward. The object here is the salvation of sinners. 
He who enters as a laborer has fixed his sympathies upon the 
soul that never dies. He has endeavored to weigh its eternal 
worth in the balance of the sanctuary. He has thought of its 
loss in hell until his heart has been ready to die within him. 
He has thought of millions and millions of bewildered heathen, 
till he has been forced to exclaim, "Oh. that my head were 
waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep 
day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people." 
Does the philanthropist find his own happiness increased when 
the kindling smile is lighted upon the cheek just now pale with 
despair; and does every chord within him vibrate to those notes 
of joy which his own charity nlay have inspired in the deep and 
dark abodes of poverty and disease: and is it in harmony with 
the law of God and our rational nature, that we should rejoice 
in such circumstances \ What then must be the feelings of the 
Christian philanthropist, when he beholds sinners under his in- 
fluence being turned out of darkness into God's marvellous 
light? The angels in heaven take up their harps and sing the 
joyous anthems of sinners converted unto God; and shall not 
those who are the instruments of these conversions be sharers 
with them in those high pulsations which inspire their rapturous 
song ( A portion of the same blessedness which fills the soul of 
Christ, when he witnesses the victories consequent upon his 
death, and the triumphant results of his intercession with God, 
is experienced by every humble and earnest laborer for the con- 
version of sinners. If the benevolent heart finds its highest 
happiness in the active discharge of duty, it is no less true that 
when mercy's work is accomplished, the cup of enjoyment will 
be full. Who can conceive in this world, dark and far removed 
from heaven, of the emotions which will swell the bosom of the 
Christian, when he sees multitudes taking their eternal stations 
in the firmament of glory, who have been conducted thither by 
his self-denying efforts? Now hear what the Savior says on this 



THE CHARACTER. 



point, ' 'Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unright- 
eousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into ever- 
lasting habitations. " By the 4 'mammon of unrighteousness," 
we are to understand money. There is nothing wrong in money 
in itself; but on account of the bad use bad men put it to, it 
has received this ill name. Now the Savior directs his dis- 
ciples, that instead of idolizing their money, or using it for 
unholy purposes, they should use it for the purpose of "mak- 
ing themselves friends,' 1 that is, expend it in relieving the poor 
and destitute. Then, when they "fail," that is, be removed by 
death, those pious poor who were the objects of their charity, 
and who have gone before them, may be considered as meeting 
them at the battlements of heaven, to welcome them to the 
regions of perfect felicity. 

f The Action of this Band of Men was Bono ruble. Honor- 
able mention is made of them, while those who refused to act 
with them get no better name than sons of Belial. We know 
of no feeling in our constitution which is stronger than love of 
distinction. It is coeval with the first exertions of reason, and 
accompanies us through all the subsequent stages of life. It 
calls forth our activity in youth in the pursuit of various ob- 
jects, and allures us through all our after walks; whether these 
lead in the fields of private life, or in the higher ranks of soci- 
ety. So strong is this principle that it is capable of carrying 
us through the greatest difficulties and dangers, of enabling us 
to persevere in the most unwearied exertions, and carrying us 
on even to death itself. But what shall we say of this propen- 
sity ? Is it worthy of praise, or should it call forth censure ? 
The channel in which it is directed by carnal, aspiring men is 
certainly to be condemned: the principle itself is an original 
constituent of our constitution, to attempt its eradication, is to 
attempt the destruction of a principle that is essential to the 
well being of man, and the great ends of his existence. But in 
vain do we attempt the eradication of this principle. The word 
of God does not require us to do so; but bids us to direct it in 



342 



THEIR ACTION. 



its proper channel. The condemnation of the Pharisees of old 
was not that they loved praise, but that they loved the praise 
of men more than the praise of God. The necessity of this 
principle when connected with the love of God is clearly per- 
ceivable. Religion must be commended; its moral glory and 
excellence reflected. It is no enemy to lustre of character. 
"Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to 
honor, when thou dost embrace her. 1 " 

It is an established principle of the divine government that 
those who do good to others shall be thus recognized, while the 
children of idleness are sunk into absolute meanness of charac- 
ter, and contentedly wallow with the drunkard and the de- 
bauchee among the herd of the sensual, the public spirited and 
active citizen who secures permanent blessings to the world is 
acknowledged as the friend of his country, is followed by their 
prayers while he lives, is embalmed by their tears when he 
dies; and though his body is laid in the dust, his name is had 
in continual remembrance, his deeds are proclaimed in history 
and celebrated in song. In regard to this world there are many 
exercises in which men may usefully employ their time, some 
of them more honorable than others. Men naturally aspire to 
honorable occupations in life; but all cannot be employed in 
that which is most honorable; some must content themselves in 
the lower avocations. Come hither, alb ye who thirst for fame, 
in the exercise of godliness, the most honorable of all exercises, 
all may engage. The Christian is not dead to love of distinc- 
tion, nor is he unmoved by passion for excellence. But if he 
has been startled by the distant voice of fame, as at the sound 
of a trumpet; that voice was from heaven: it was the voice 
proclaiming glory, honor, immortality. He finds in the exer- 
cise of godliness a good like his own immortal nature, a good 
altogether agreeable to the destination of a being whose abode 
is to be the palace of light; and his lifetime, the ages of eter- 
nity. Here he finds honor, not the honor of the world, an 
honor, poor, paltry, perishing, like those who bestow it, at 



THE CHARACTER. 



343 



feeble light going out in darkness and smoke, but the true hon- 
or, the honor that comes from God, the glory that invests the 
righteous, the everlasting remembrance in which their piety 
will be cherished — the beauty with which they shall be arrayed, 

who shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and as 

the stars forever and ever. Nobles, indeed, are they who have 
this honor, though descended from families of no elevated rank, 
though their names are unadorned by titles of distinction, 
though they may never have worn the laurels of the warrior, 
or shone as stars in the firmament of national glory, and though 
many of them possess little worldly wealth or influence, they 
are born of God, they have a name written in heaven, the spirit 
of glory rests upon them, and as princes they have power with 
God and prevail. It is true that the judgment of the earth, so 
far as religious effort is concerned, is very different from the 
judgment of heaven. Exertions in the behalf of religion look 
to many in the world like manifest evidences of mental imbe- 
cility and moral infatuation. But hold this matter up in the 
light of eternity; and how does it obscure all human greatness 
by its superior lustre. Here is honor, not in the estimation of 
men only, but in the sight of God, whose judgment is the 
standard of truth and right, and whose approbation confers a 
crown of glory that fadeth not away. All the honor we can 
gain among men is limited and confined. Its duration is short 
and transitory. The objects around us. which now excite so 
much interest, and call forth the highest exertions of human 
power and genius, will soon be buried and lost in an infinite 
ocean. Worldly applause, which is awarded to the little deeds 
of earth, will not be heard amidst the songs and harps of glory. 
To put one poor soul in possession of the gospel, is a labor 
which stands more intimately connected with the present and 
eternal happiness of man, than all those mighty subjects which 
have agitated empires, and kindled wars and made treaties, and 

ealled into action the talent and learning of successive gene ra- 
ft o 

tions since the world began. It is in every respect in keeping 



344 



THEIR ACTION. 



with the other parts of the divine government, that those, 
whose successful labors have covered and decorated the very 
canopy of heaven with redeemed souls, should themselves, as 
the best benefactors of a lost world, "shine as the brightness of 

the firmament and as the stars forever and ever. " 

Oh what an elevation! Let us try if we can scale its height. 
Man by sin fell to the lowest point of degradation; in his re- 
demption from sin he is raised to the highest point of elevation, 
higher than all created beings. This elevation is the necessary 
consequence of the way of his salvation. The exaltation of his 
rank is not the reward of his sin; but the necessary consequence 
of his being made one with Christ, in his obedience and right- 
eousness. In order that Christ might redeem his people, he 
became one with them. Their sins were transferred to him, 
and his righteousness became theirs. In this way also every 
thing that belongs to him. becomes theirs, as far as their com- 
mon nature admits. His rank as God exclusively- belongs to 
himself; but in every thing in which he is one with his people, 
they possess whatever belongs to him. By their oneness with 
him they died with him. they were buried with him, they rose 
with him, and with him now sit in heavenly places. They will 
sit with him on his throne, and reign with him forever. Hence 
Christ, for the encouragement of his people, says. "To him 
that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even 
as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his 
throne." To sit with the Redeemer in his throne, is the high- 
est point of dignity. The loftiest angels do not attain to this 1 
position. They, indeed, are ministering spirits about the 
throne: but when was the honor ever proposed to them to sit 
with the great Redeemer in his throne. To which of the angels 
said he at any time, sit thou at my right hand \ This high 
honor is reserved for ransomed sinners; for those who arc 
united to Christ by faith in their effectual calling. Here is the 
explanation of the whole matter. The eternal Son of the eter- 
nal God has taken human nature in connection with the divine, 



THE CHARACTER. 



345 



and thus raised human nature to the highest eminence, grand- 
eur, and glory. 

The following similitude will help us into a conception of this 
high dignity. A king, for example, sets his affections on a 
plebeian girl; he marries her, and raises her to his bosom and 
his throne. Now on some grand gala day see this mighty 
monarch on his throne; his nobles are around him, and all the 
princes of the blood paying homage to him. Where now is 
the plebeian girl? While the nobles and all the chief officers 
of the realm are standing around their monarch, she is seen 
robed and crowned, a bride seated at her husband's side. Even 
so in the great day of our Lord, in the resurrection morn, when 
the loyalty of heaven will be present in their shining robes, a 
mighty host of angejs and archangels pouring their splendors 
around the throne, where will this plebeian girl be, that he 
chose in the lowest depths of degradation? Seated beside him 
on his throne as the Bride of the Lamb. 

Carnal men may laugh at these staftments, and represent 
these impressions of the Christian's spiritual distinction, as the 
delusions of enthusiasm, and scoff at their moral glories, as of 
a piece with the pageantry of children, or the whims of luna- 
tics, but they are high in the honor that comes from God, and 
in it they shall shine when the fashion of this world hath passed 
away, and shame shall be the promotion of fools. 

O Christian! does not thy heart glow at the thought that 
there is a time marked out in the annals of heaven, when thou 
shalt be higher than the angels now are, when that thou shalt 
shine above the gloiy in which principalities and powers now 
appear, when in the full communion of the Most High, thou 
shalt see him as he is. 

g The Action of this Band of Men was Upright. Upright- 
ness respects the object and intentions of our actions; and the 
object of this band of men evidently was the honor of God in 
the elevation of Saul to the kingly office. The end of an action 
is its moral characteristic. Religion prescribes the motive by 



346 



THEIR ACTION. 



which we should be actuated, and the object at which we should 
aim. The glory of him who filleth all and in all is the motive 
it prescribes. Then it is not what we do that constitutes moral 
excellence, but the end for which we do it. Our object may be 
good, and we may act vigorously towards it, yet if we do not 
act with an intelligent and voluntary regard to the injunction, 
' 'Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God," then our im- 
pulse is unhallowed, and must corrupt and debase everything 
that proceeds from it. In all our actions and pursuits, then, 
the glory of God should be our aim. It is necessary to follow 
a thousand pursuits: it is lawful to indulge in a thousand tastes, 
which in themselves have an entire and simple reference to the 
world; but however unconnected with religion in the act, there 
is nothing which may not, which ought not to be connected with 
it by the motive: there is no compromising with God in this 
matter. To him we are bound to surrender all that we are, and 
all that we possess, to account our talents a delegated trust, for 
the use of which we are responsible, and the glory of which ap- 
pertains to him. At such self-renouncing requirements the heart 
of man naturally rebels. Self is the grand center in every un- 
renewed mind, the sun around which, at a greater or less dis- 
tance every feeling revolves. To toil and acquire without the 
stimulus supplied by personal ambition, or an exulting con- 
sciousness of superiority- — to receive praise and render it to God 
untouched — to strive for victory, and inscribe the trophy with 
the name of another, this we feel a hard saying. Alas ! poor 
man has forgotten that in which true distinction lies. Look up- 
ward, and you will see it in full life and beauty in that region 
where each glorified spirit casts his crown at the feet of him who 
gave it. There is honor in the meanest duty, elevation in the 
humblest being, consequence in the commonest action, which 
principle connects with God. Deny it as we please, all things 
glow with beauty, worth, and dignity in precise proportion as 
they relate to God, his glory and his will. When Joab had 
taken Kabbah, he sent for king David that he might carry away 



THE CHARACTER. 



347 



the glory of the victory. In like manner, when we have done 
all that we can, and performed our best services, we should take 
the crown from off our head, and put it upon the head of free 
grace, that in all things God may be glorified. Separate from 
this principle, our most holy obedience can claim no superiority 
over the most hateful rebellion. The want of a right aim ap- 
pears to have been the principal want of the Scribes and Phari- 
sees; for most of our Savior's reproofs evidently turn upon this 
very thing, they prayed, they fasted, they gave alms, and com- 
passed sea and land to make proselytes to the Jewish religion: 
all which was very commendable in their own nature. But here 
lay their fault, they did all to be seen of men. Nothing in their 
conduct ought to be imitated, except their assiduity in prosecut- 
ing their end. 

Jehu did according to the will of God in destroying the Baal 
worshippers. And so earnest was he, that he said to his friends, 
4 'Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord." But if his 
zeal had been a zeal for the Lord, it would not have been so os- 
tentatious. He did a piece of work for God; and for this he 
received the kingdom, and it was continued in his family to the 
fourth generation; yet because he did it not from a pure and 
hearty zeal for the Lord, and with a sincere desire for his glory, 
but in order to gain the kingdom, increase his power, and sati- 
ate his tyranny and lust, God considered it no better than mur- 
der, and said he would ' 'avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the 
house of Jehu.'" All actions performed after this manner must 
meet with the same issue. 

O then ! let us rise above self, and make the divine glory the 
end of our actions. The end of God in all his operations is to 
obtain glory to himself; for this the worlds were made and are 
now governed. For this the sun and stars shine, and the heav- 
ens and the earth move in their appointed courses. For this 
the Son of God visited our world, and died for our redemption. 
It is here that the moral perfections of God appear in their 
brightest lustre. In this medium he is seen in all the glory of 



348 



THEIR ACTION. 



his spotless holiness, in all the majesty of his inflexible justice. 
Angels grasped the leading objects of the plan of redemption, 
and embodied it in that sublime doxology which they sang at 
the Savior's advent, the first note of which is, "Glory to God 
in the highest." The object, which has moved the heart of 
heaven, will also move the hearts of saints on earth. To glorify 
God should be the grand object of every Christian. And surely 
he, who forms the bliss and glory of heaven, and who contains 
all excellence in himself, is an object worthy of the highest am- 
bition. It is in the recovery of lost man from sin and hell, 
through the medium of the word of life, that God pours forth 
the splendor of his perfections. This principle is interwoven 
with the whole structure of the gospel: this is the grand work 
upon which the God of grace has fixed his heart — here love has 
found its object — here wisdom has formed its purpose — here 
mercy is unfolded — here Satan shall be defeated, sin subdued, 
and grace made triumphant. Pause for a moment, and contem- 
plate yourselves and your present acts in connection with the 
glory of the living God. On this work the heart of the Chris- 
tian can fix with intense and glowing interest, and every child 
of grace is not onty permitted, but required to engage in it. 
The duty is enforced by motives as strong as heaven can wield. 
What Christian with heaven and hell before him. and surround- 
ed by a world of dying sinners would not pant to be useful { 
Who would not beg the privilege of reflecting the rays of God's 
glory upon the world? Who that loves God and sympathizes 
with his honor will not rally his last energy, and spend his last 
breath, that God may be exhibited to the view of a crooked and 
preverse nation as he stoops in unclouded effulgence to receive 
sinners to his embrace? 



FINIS. 




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